


The Children of Sarjalim

by Angela



Category: Boku no Chikyuu wo Mamotte | Please Save My Earth
Genre: F/F, F/M, M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-06-28
Updated: 2018-06-29
Packaged: 2019-05-29 23:47:10
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 8
Words: 21,368
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15084392
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Angela/pseuds/Angela
Summary: Rin, Alice, and their friends weren't the only people to survive the destruction of their homeworld. Through Enju's telepathy, Issei realizes that a group of survivors are coming to Earth to find them. Their intentions seem benign, but suspicions crop up nonetheless, and so Rin hatches a crazy plan to get them all physically to the moon base, hoping to cut them off before they reach the planet that has become so precious to them all.





	1. Day One: Sunday

**Author's Note:**

  * For [gorgeousshutin](https://archiveofourown.org/users/gorgeousshutin/gifts).



> This is a *really* old fic of mine, written over a long period between 2002 and 2004. When I wrote this, I had limited knowledge of the manga, as it had not yet been released here and I was unable to find adequate translations of my tankoubon. Because of this, my story is based mostly on the animated OAV and takes place about one year after Rin's adventure at the Tokyo Tower, so please forgive the glaringly obvious differences from the way the manga ended. ♥
> 
> I'm dedicating its new placement here to gorgeousshutin, the one person I've met who seems to love PSME as much as I do.

Fandom: Please Save My Earth  
Title: The Children of Sarjalim: Day One  
2002-2004  
by Angela

 

Sunday, Day One 

_Enju . . . we are coming . . . watch for us . . . ._

Issei woke slowly, his dream fading even as his eyes fluttered open. "Nadeshiko?" he whispered groggily, rubbing his forehead with one hand. Sunlight streaming through the cracks of his blinds washed out the last memory, leaving him with just the name. "Nadeshiko," he repeated, shaking his head. He couldn't think of anyone with that name, not in this life or the previous . . . .

The telephone's harsh ringing broke his concentration. He glanced at the clock. Already past ten. No one else would be around to answer the phone. He slid from beneath the sheets, shoving his feet into his slippers. He had planned to spend that Sunday lounging around in bed. 

Issei picked up the phone in the hall, squinting against the bright sunshine that shone aggressively from the windows. "Hello?" he asked cautiously.

"Ten rings!" A shrill voice yelled from the other end of the line. "Really, Issei, don't you have a phone right outside your room?" 

He smiled. "Good morning, Sakura." 

In a moment her scolding was forgotten. Blaming the beautiful weather for her excess energy, Sakura wanted to know if he wanted to spend the day with her at the zoo. Issei could think of worse ways to spend an afternoon. "Sounds good," he agreed. He hadn't been to the zoo in months, since that long-ago day with Jinpachi. 

"Great!" Sakura's enthusiasm was contagious. "Meet me by the front gate in two hours!" 

He hung up the phone, indulging in a long stretch. Two hours was plenty of time to get dressed, have breakfast, and catch a train to the zoo. Issei double-checked the time. If he hurried, he could sneak in fifteen more minutes of sleep. Dragging his feet, he walked the two meters to his room and flopped onto the bed. Fifteen minutes sounded perfect. 

*****

Haruhiko glanced at his watch again. It was already ten past eleven; Tamura was late. He sipped his water nervously. It wasn't like him to be anything less than prompt. Maybe he should've called to verify that they were still meeting that day. Haru bit his lip--he hoped he hadn't been forgotten. 

The thought was too ridiculous to consider. Tamura was never that inconsiderate. Haruhiko scolded himself for being so untrusting.

It had happened a lot lately. For no real reason, he'd found himself unsure and insecure about things and people that usually put him at ease. He'd also found himself worrying about the base on the moon, about its strategic position and the vulnerability of the Earth, should any hostile aliens find it. Shion had failed to destroy it the year before, and somehow his old, seemingly forgotten concern had lodged itself into Haru. He secretly longed to tell someone in the government about the research station, to unburden himself of the responsibility of knowing. 

But that was crazy. No one would believe him. For that matter, there were no hostile aliens. 

He hadn't been this uneasy just two weeks before. He wondered what had changed. 

Haru looked at his watch again. Eleven-fifteen. 

He was just about to walk to a pay telephone to try calling him, when Tamura's voice boomed across the outdoor cafe. "Hey Haru! Sorry I'm late!" He was rushing across the busy street, smiling happily and waving. 

Haruhiko jumped to his feet, relieved. "Tamura!" 

"Sorry I'm late, kid." The older man slid into the chair across from Haru, signaling to the waitress as he took off his hat. "My shopping took longer than I expected." 

"I-it's okay," Haru stammered, his face flushed from the embarrassment of being so concerned. "I hardly noticed." 

Gulping down the glass of water brought to him, Tamura picked up the menu. "I'm starved! What are you having?" 

They ordered their lunch and while waiting, caught up on everything missed in the months that Tamura had spent in Kyoto. "It's good to be home. Now that Master Takashi is back in his old school, it looks like I'll be able to stay in Tokyo at least another year." 

Mastudaira Takashi had just begun his last year of high school. Haruhiko wondered what would happen when he graduated. Would Tamura be free of his duties? "But--but what then?" he asked, unable to keep the anxiety from his voice. "Will you follow him to the university, too?" 

Tamura laughed, a deep sound that made Haru smile. "I doubt the young master has any plans for higher education. No, I'll probably settle down here and do whatever Mr. Mastudaira has planned for me. It'll be nice to have my own place and a nine-to-five job, assuming that's what he has in mind." He grinned, making Haruhiko blush. "I'm kind of hoping that's what's going to happen." 

Haru was surprised that Tamura would want to be away from his charge. He'd always seemed pretty devoted to the boy. "Won't you miss him? Takashi, I mean."

"Well," Tamura scratched his head as though deep in thought. "I suppose I'll miss him a little, but I'm sure I'll find plenty of things to keep myself busy." He smiled at the waitress as she refilled his tea. "And what about you? You keeping too busy to see our good friend Mikuro?" 

Haruhiko looked down, afraid to tell Tamura that he'd been avoiding Mikuro intentionally. He didn't want to be reminded of the trouble with Shion. He didn't want to be Shukkaido anymore. "I--uh--I've got a lot of schoolwork to keep up with, now that I'm in high school." 

Tamura nodded, taking a bite of his lunch. "But don't let it be too much of a strain," he warned. "You need to take some time to relax, and now that Mikuro's living in Tokyo, I don't see why the three of us can't catch a movie or something." 

Haru knew that his friend was just watching out for him. He'd probably asked Mikuro to keep an eye on things, to make sure that Shion didn't cause any more trouble. But Haru didn't need protection. The past was over--no one would come looking for him now. 

Suddenly his food somehow tasted too strong; he pushed it around with his chopsticks a while before glancing back up at Tamura. He looked happy. Really happy. The tiniest bit of a smile curved his lips upward and his eyes sparkled in a way Haruhiko had never seen before. 

Before he could ask why, Tamura leaned close. "Can I tell you a secret, Haru?" He barely waited for the answering nod before continuing. "My shopping--it wasn't just any old shopping. I was buying something for Ayako." He pulled a tiny box from his jacket, flipping open the lid to reveal a stunning diamond ring. "Do you s'pose she'll take it?" 

No words came to Haru's mind. He stared at the ring, shocked. "You--you're getting married?" he asked finally. Tamura suddenly seemed very grown up, very far away. Panic flared in Haruhiko's chest as he imagined his friend married, maybe with children of his own. How would he possibly find time to see him? "Congratulations," he choked. 

Tamura grinned, snapping the lid shut and putting the velvet box back into his pocket. "Well, first let's see if the lady says yes." 

Even though they were going to spend the afternoon together, Haru felt very lonely. 

*****

Sakura was beginning to wish she had suggested someplace--anyplace--other than the zoo. They'd been there less than an hour when Ogura Jinpachi, conveniently bringing a package to his brother, fell into step beside them. The look on Issei's face, that mixture of confusion and delight, made her sick to her stomach. Some people never learn. 

So far they'd discussed nothing but their upcoming school trip--a week in Hokkaido. Sakura hated trips like that. Not really, but she hated being left out of the conversation on her own date. 

They stopped for snow cones. Issei ordered hers without having to ask what flavor she wanted. Sakura took the lemon-lime snow cone from his hands, glaring up at Issei’s friend. At least Issei knew her favorite flavors--had Jinpachi ever warranted such attention? Obviously not. She sighed as they sat on a bench near the zebras. It was stupid to get so competitive; Jinpachi didn't even care. She ate the ice idly, staring at the zebras through the wire fence as she half-listened to the boys' conversation. 

"So, have you had any more of those weird dreams?" Jinpachi asked suddenly. 

Issei nodded. "This morning." He ate a spoonful of his snow cone. "Like the others, it disappeared before I could remember much." 

Jinpachi nodded, serious. "Anything new?" 

"Her name is Nadeshiko," Issei answered, nodding. "All I know is that she calls me Enju and says that someone's coming." 

"Nadeshiko?" Jinpachi scratched his chin. "I don't remember anyone with that name." 

Sakura stared at them, amazed. Issei was having new moon dreams and he hadn't told her? "What?" she cried, almost dumping her ice onto the pavement. "Who is Nadeshiko? Why haven't I heard about this?" 

The boys smiled nervously at her. "It's no big deal," Issei assured her. "I don't even remember anything, really." 

"Do you remember anyone named Nadeshiko? From the--" Jinpachi dropped his voice to a whisper. "From the mother planet?" 

Sakura shook her head. She remembered a lot, but never any woman with that name. "Was she a scientist?" 

A shrug was Issei's answer. "I can't remember anything about these dreams, except that Nadeshiko says she's coming, and that I should watch for her." 

Stabbing at her snow cone with her spoon, Sakura twisted this new information around in her head. She didn't like it one bit that Jinpachi knew all about this before she did, but the idea that someone from the mother planet, possibly someone they'd known, might still be alive and searching for them--that could be very interesting. 

*****

Alice's mother came into the kitchen just as she was tying a scarf around the bento boxes. The homemade lunch, along with a thermos full of tea and a bundle of cookies, would be the perfect food for her picnic with Rin. 

"Really, Alice! Do you have to encourage that child so much?" Her mother's tone was harsh, making Alice flinch. "He came to his senses a year ago--why on earth do you continue to indulge him? It's not good to tease boys, even when they're only eight!" 

Nine, Alice corrected silently. Would she ever stop nagging? "It's only a picnic, mother, not an elopement." Alice kept her tone even and almost demure--it would just upset her if she urged her mother into yelling. 

"So you're not planning to run away with him?" Hajime poked his head into the kitchen. "Could've fooled me. I've never seen a kid so irritatingly smitten!" 

"Hajime!" His words made Alice flush a deep shade of red. "Rin and I are friends. Can't you leave it at that?" 

"Maybe," he said slowly, "when you start going out with guys your own age!" 

He leaned against the wall, crossing his arms stubbornly and waiting for her to answer. Alice didn't have anything to say about that--there were no boys her own age that she was interested in. Just Shion.

"He has a point, Alice," her mother scolded. "Before long, people will be talking!" 

Alice picked up the lunch and grabbed her jacket and picnic blanket. "Let them talk," she muttered to herself, yanking the door open. Her face was burning and her eyes stung, but she was determined not to let them bully her. 

"Alice!" Rin's cheerful voice caught her as soon as she closed the door. He was leaning on the wall across the hall. "Ready to go, Alice?" He smiled at her and her frustration disappeared. Someday they might understand, she hoped. 

As they walked to the park, Rin talked excitedly about his upcoming school camping trip. "We're gonna sleep in tents and cook our food over a campfire! And the best thing is that it's the same week as your school trip to Hokkaido, so we won't have to miss each other!" he chirped. Alice missed elementary school trips, which were more recreational than educational. Her school trip almost certainly would be followed by a project or paper on what she'd learned.

By the time they reached a grassy area away from the playground, Rin had fallen silent. Alice didn't mind; sometimes she wondered if she could really keep up with him. He helped her spread out the blanket, his eyes meeting hers across the expanse of yellow cotton. 

"Alice?" he began, untying the knot holding the bundle of cookies. "Have you felt anything strange lately?" 

She was mortified to find herself blushing. Rin had endured a huge growth spurt the past few months--now his head reached her chin and his limbs were lean and strong. Her feelings for him were as muddled as ever, but now and then she got hints of the man he would grow into, and that sent her mind reeling into even more confusion. "Wha--what do you mean?" 

He seemed oblivious to her embarrassment. "Not as Alice, exactly, but Mokuren. Have you felt anything strange as her?" 

"You mean from the moon?" 

He smiled at her simple terms. "Kind of. Any premonitions, weird sensations?" 

Alice thought about it. None of the confusion from before had returned to her. Since her awakening, her past life had felt very matter-of-fact to her--not mystical at all. She shook her head. "Why?" 

Rin took a bite of _onigiri,_ chewing for a long time before answering. "I just have this eerie feeling that there's more." While he unscrewed the cap of the thermos and poured himself a cup of tea, Alice had time to think about his words. 

"More?" She was puzzled. "But everyone from the mother planet died. The seven of us died. What more could there be?" She nibbled anxiously on a cookie. The last time Shion surfaced to take control of his past life, Rin ended up in the hospital. For that reason alone, she hoped that his premonitions were just a result of his overactive imagination. 

"I don't know, Alice. I just have this feeling . . . . I feel like someone, somewhere, is watching us." 

*****

The moon sure was bright. Sakura stared out her bedroom window at it, half-wishing that when she looked up she could see a rabbit, like everyone else. Instead, the moon made her think of Enju; lately the image of Issei replaced the woman’s lovely face. 

Their date that afternoon had been a total bust. 

She sighed. It wasn't Issei's fault. It wasn't really Jinpachi's fault either. Neither of them had known it was a date. She was such a coward. 

But how could she tell him? How could she just spit it out and confess her feelings when she knew she'd be rejected? If Jinpachi weren’t always hanging around, maybe she'd have a chance to change Issei's feelings. Damn him for following in Enju's footsteps! Sakura wasn't able to feel justifiably angry for too long. After all, could she say she wasn't in love with Issei just because of Shusuran's feelings for Enju? 

"Damn!" Kicking a pillow across her room, Sakura flung herself onto her bed. Obviously this was going to take longer--a lot longer--than she'd thought. 

"Sakura?" A light knock on her bedroom door interrupted her musings. Her mother opened it slightly, squinting in the darkness. "Have you gone to bed already? Anyway, you got some mail, sweetheart. I'll leave it right here on your dresser."

Mail? She perked up. Who on earth would be sending her a letter? "Thanks, Mom," she called out. "G'night!" 

Her mother closed the door as Sakura bounded up from the bed. Flicking the light on, she grabbed the letter. It was a postcard; the picture was of a cheesy rural scene. She flipped it over. 

_Shusuran--just wanted to drop you a line from my new school. I'm doing well and have been studying hard for my exams. Say hello to everyone for me. Hiiragi, aka Daisuke._

His letter-type-perfect handwriting made her smile. Doing well? He was probably the first in his class. He always had been when he attended her school. It was strange not having him around all the time. 

She frowned, wondering what he'd think about Issei's latest dreams. 

*****

_He blinked, the glow from the lights too bright for his sensitive eyes. Where was he? Why was he lying down?_

_"Shukkaido?" Her voice was sweet. Young. "Are you waking up, Shukkaido?"_

_"A--Ayame?" he asked groggily. Her face swam into view--pretty, with short dark hair and bright violet eyes. What happened to me?_

_She grinned. "You passed out. You forgot to ventilate your suit properly, so you didn't get enough oxygen. She ran a hand over his face, pushing his hair from his eyes. "For a moment there, I thought I'd lost you."_

_It was stumbling back to him, a moment at a time. They'd been practicing the use of the artificial environment systems built into the space suits they'd be using on their missions. By wearing them in an oxygen-free chamber, the doctors could demonstrate their ability to perform in real space. Apparently Shukkaido hadn't done so well._

_"Am I in trouble?" he asked cautiously. He'd only just met Ayame at the beginning of this training program, but they'd developed a camaraderie that made them trusted friends. He knew she'd watch out for him, if she could._

_She shook her head, her black hair bouncing over her forehead. "I got you out of your suit before they could check it out. You plugged in the hoses backwards."_

_Sitting up, Shukkaido glanced around him. He was on a soft bed, and gentle music played from speakers nearby. This wasn't his room, but it wasn't one of the sterile medic chambers either. "Where are we?"_

_The young woman blushed, her cheeks staining pink as she glanced away. "I had them bring you to my room." She giggled softly. "I told them you'd blacked out from claustrophobia, so they wouldn't send you to a medic chamber."_

_"Claustrophobia?" Shukkaido was outraged. "Why on earth would a doctor leave something like that untreated if he were planning to go to space? You've made me look like a complete idiot!"_

_She laughed. "Ah, but this way, I get to 'treat' you; by tomorrow, you'll be fine!" Since the discovery of drugs even stronger than hypnotic suggestion, the treatment of phobias had become a simple thing. "If I said it was a medical condition, rather than a psychological one, they would've thrown you out of the research program!"_

_She had a point. Ayame was easily the brightest doctor working in the space program. She'd graduated medical school at nineteen, and now, just two years later, she was working in a position thousands of doctors would give their teeth for. Shukkaido looked up to her and respected her medical opinions--he'd been surprised to find that she was as beautiful as intelligent, not to mention friendly and cheerful to boot._

_"Well, I'm fine now," he declared, hopping off the bed. A wave of dizziness almost sent him crashing back down, but she grabbed his shoulders, steadying him._

_"Easy! We don't want you to lose consciousness again!"_

_He took a few deep breaths until he felt more stable, then walked slowly around the room. "Nice place--it's a lot better than mine."_

_"The best thing about being female in this profession--you usually don't end up sharing a room. You're with the other two men, right?" There were four doctors training for off-planet research. Shukkaido and the other men were assigned jobs at observation bases, but Ayame's job was a little different._

_"So you're going to be stationed on a ship with a genetics lab?" he asked, sitting on the couch and motioning for her to join him. Are you working on artificial colonization, or what?"_

_She sat, shaking her head. "I'm not really authorized to say," she apologized. "All I can tell you is that if the planet your crew is observing is the most suitable for our purposes, we'll be working together again one day."_

_He looked at her intently, wondering if he'd ever meet anyone he could feel so at-ease with. "That'd be nice," he said huskily. Suddenly realizing that he was staring at her, he looked away. "Ayame . . . " he began, embarrassed._

_She reached over covering his hands with hers. "Shukkaido," she said softly, smiling at him gently. "I'd like that, too"_


	2. Day Two: Monday

Tuesday, Day Two:

The breeze was warm; Alice lifted her face into the sunlight, enjoying the feeling of the heat on her skin. Branches from a nearby flowering bush tickled her shoulders as if to say hello. "Good afternoon," she whispered back, a smile curving her lips. Spring was slowly giving way to summer, but afternoons this beautiful were still rare.

"Sakaguchi!" She looked up to see Jinpachi waving at her from across the courtyard, a bag of food from the vendors clutched in his fist. He was followed closely by Issei, who smiled shyly as he drank his soda.

Alice smiled back, waving them over to her bench in the sunshine. Now that the weather was warm, they could at least eat together, though they were still in different classes. She moved her books and lunch, making room for the boys.

Issei sat beside her. "Hello," he greeted her, his quiet voice friendly. 

Jinpachi threw himself onto the ground, grinning as he tore open his lunch. "Hungry," he explained, taking a bite of the bread. Alice smiled. Jinpachi reminded her of her brother sometimes. For a while the three of them ate in silence, enjoying the weather and the good food.

Issei spoke first. "How's Rin doing, Sakaguchi?" he asked politely. It had been several months since everyone had seen each other.

She smiled, happy to be able to talk about her favorite friend. "He's doing so well! They're thinking of letting him test out of a grade, next year." He'd been first in his class since his awakening. Alice knew it was because of Shion's knowledge, but she was still proud that he did so well. 

Jinpachi made an impressed snort, trying to swallow a chunk of bread. "Wow!" he said, finally catching his breath. "Not bad for the little brat!"

Alice's breath caught on the last word. It was upsetting that her friend still held a grudge against Rin, but at least, she reasoned, he could be happy for him. Issei seemed to have completely forgiven the boy for his behavior, understanding the difference between Rin and Shion. She wished Jinpachi would hurry up and do the same. 

"He's clearly a very bright child," Issei added. "I hope he realizes what a big deal this is."

Alice nodded. Rin took his education very seriously. If he continued on this track, he'd easily get into a great high school and probably one of the best colleges. His aptitude for science and math would make him the perfect candidate for a career in engineering or even medicine.

"Has anyone heard from Shukkaido lately? Kasama Haruhiko, I mean." Jinpachi's voice cut into Alice's thoughts. "I haven't seen him since he got out of the hospital last year."

"I haven't either," Alice admitted, though she hadn't given it much thought. Haruhiko didn't trust them very much--and with good reason, after all. "Why do you ask, so suddenly?"

Jinpachi looked at Issei and something passed silently between them. For a moment, Alice watched anxiously, wondering if she would be let into their secret. Then Jinpachi nodded, apparently coming to a decision. 

"I've been having dreams," Issei confessed slowly. "They seem to be premonitions--though I don't know from where, or whom." He took a deep breath and addressed Alice's puzzled expression. "A woman . . . a woman named Nadeshiko seems to be trying to contact me, something about someone coming--here, I assume." He glanced at Jinpachi. "This has something to do with Enju--with all of us from the moon."

A shiver of fear ran through Alice. Someone coming? To Earth? She glanced around the courtyard, at the newly bloomed flowers and the birds that chirped in the trees. No one should disturb that. Rin. The memory made her feelings more ominous. "Rin said something like that--that he felt someone watching us. It made him uneasy."

"I thought so!" Jinpachi jumped up in his excitement. "Issei's a telepath, and Rin's a powerful psychic--only Shukkaido's powers are as strong his. If the kid's felt something, then Shukkaido must know something for sure!" He grasped Issei's hands, his eyes gleaming. "Don't you see what that means?" he cried. "It's real! Nadeshiko's real--from the mother planet!"

Alice registered Issei's blush at Jinpachi's sudden contact, but her stomach felt too queasy to think much of it. The earth suddenly seemed very fragile to her, very vulnerable. Something should be done to keep others from coming. Something must be done soon.

"I think we should definitely call a meeting," Jinpachi continued with exuberance. "Tonight--at my house! I'll call Shukkaido." He looked at Issei. "You get Shusuran and have her contact Hiiragi," he ordered. He smiled as his eyes met Alice's. "And you'll tell Shion, right? Man, this is going to be great!"

*****

The people at the mall seemed cheerful as they rushed around, meeting people and shopping. Haruhiko watched them as he waited for his mother. Even sitting in the crowded shopping center, he felt out of place, conspicuous. He had thought the displaced feeling would fade as soon as he entered high school, but even around kids his own age, he felt abnormal.

There was a good reason, of course. He was abnormal. His skin, his heart, his memories, his power--not one thing about him let him blend with the background. Only one person ever seemed to notice how it made him feel, and that person was about to make him an outsider again.

Haru wondered how Tamura felt about Ayako. Sure, he must love her, everyone loved her, but what made her so special that he wanted to dedicate the rest of his life to her? What was it about her that made him want to come home to her every evening, to sleep next to her every night? He blushed, unwillingly imagining Tamura kissing her, touching her. What quality did she have that other women--other people--lacked?

Why did she have to bewitch him so he couldn't see anyone else? What was he going to do when Tamura was married, with responsibilities and kids of his own? Haruhiko trembled, and he was suddenly very afraid. 

Tamura had once said that they were in synch with each other, that they understood each other more closely than most people. That's why he'd been able to see him as Shukkaido. If he went away and married Ayako, Haru was sure that bond would be severed. Then who would be his friend?

No one. Haruhiko dropped his head against his knees, trying not to cry.

*****

"Wow," Jinpachi said as he dumped a bag of convenience store snacks on the carpeted floor. "It's been a long time since we've all been together like this." This time they were meeting at his house--five of them were crammed into his tiny bedroom.

Sakura huffed, picking up a sweet bean cake and tossing it in one hand. "We're not all here, you know. Hiiragi couldn't get all the way here on such short notice."

Jinpachi wondered at the challenge in her tone. He shook his head. She was hard to figure out sometimes. Shukkaido wasn't there, either. Jinpachi had called, but the boy had refused to talk to him. "I think he's still holding a grudge against us--Shukkaido, I mean. I called his place twice, and both times his mother said he wasn't well enough to talk." He exhaled sharply. "Jeez, and we need him, too."

"Do we?" Alice asked softly from the corner. "Maybe we should leave the poor boy alone." She glanced around the room, seeking everyone's faces, then dropped her eyes back down to her hands.

For a long time, no one spoke, and Jinpachi thought they were all feeling a little ashamed. But it wasn't their fault! He wanted to shake everyone and shout that it was really only Shion that should feel bad. It infuriated him that they should all be lumped in the same category as Shion and his lunatic behavior. "But--" he protested.

"I think Mokuren is right," Issei pointed out at the same time. "Even though we didn't hurt him, we didn't notice anything was wrong either." 

"Poor Shukkaido," Sakura whispered.

Rin stood up, his hair masking his eyes as he looked at his shoes. "We must continue," he said, his young voice barely wavering. "We have to figure out whether this presence from the mother planet is a threat." He looked at Issei. "Enju, what have your dreams shown you?"

Issei told him the same thing he'd said to Jinpachi and Alice that afternoon at lunch. "Each night it gets a little clearer, but I always forget who Nadeshiko is, and how I know her." He scratched his head. "I wonder if she's someone who trained with Enju."

"Has anyone else had any kind of dream or premonition about this?" Jinpachi asked eagerly. Alice and Sakura shook their heads. Jinpachi wasn't going to let that quell his exuberance. The idea of meeting others from the past was beyond his wildest imaginings. He had a million questions--just thinking about having one or two answered filled him with excited anticipation. He remembered his glee that night that Hiiragi answered their ad; that was nothing compared to the way he felt now. 

"I'm sure something's definitely going to happen," Rin answered slowly, pacing around the small room. "I can't tell what, exactly, but it has to do with the mother planet. I suppose it's very possible that others like us survived the destruction of our world; there were three separate observation missions, as well as a research ship working on the same project, after all. It makes sense that someone might have survived. Maybe all of them." He looked at each of the teenagers very seriously before sitting next to Alice. "But what do they want here, with us?"

"And why," Alice added, "would they wait eighteen years before contacting us?"

"What does it matter?!" Jinpachi was on his feet in a moment. "A great civilization may in fact live on--some of our old friends may still be alive! This is the best thing that ever happened!"

Sakura smiled, looking up at Jinpachi with friendly eyes. "For once, I've gotta agree with him," she said, grinning. "Things like this are too incredible to ignore. I think we've got to get in touch with these people as soon as we can!" She popped open a can of soda and held it up in a toast. "To Sarjalim!" she cried.

Her mood was infectious. Issei laughed and grabbed a can for himself, spraying soda in the air as he popped the tab. In a moment, everyone was giggling. Jinpachi picked up the phone to call Hiiragi. This was too big to keep quiet. As the phone rang, he looked at his friends. "I still think someone ought to try to talk with Shukkaido."

Rin looked serious. "I'll do it," he offered evenly.

Jinpachi was startled. He'd meant someone who wouldn't have to use scare tactics to get him there. 

"No," Alice interceded gently before Jinpachi could say anything. "I'll talk with him."


	3. Chapter Three: Tuesday

Tuesday, Day Three:

The phone rang three times before a pleasant-sounding woman picked up. Alice took a deep breath; she hated phone calls. "May I please speak with Kasama Haruhiko?" she asked politely. "This is Sakaguchi Alice."

His mother asked her to wait on the line. Alice's heart pounded. She hoped he would speak to her. She wanted him to understand about Rin--about Shion--and he had a right to know about the others from the mother planet. After a few minutes, the lady's gentle voice returned. "I'm sorry, Miss Sakaguchi," she began kindly.

"Please," Alice interrupted. "Please, Mrs. Kasama, I need to speak with Haruhiko. It's important." She softened her voice and willed the woman to understand her. "I promise, I mean him no harm." 

"Just one moment," she answered, her voice a little gruff. "I think Haru needs more friends his own age--he's too shy, really."

Alice waited again, anxious and nervous. If he refused again, she had no choice but to give up. She crossed her fingers and wished.

"Sakaguchi?" Haruhiko's soft voice was her reward. "Sakaguchi, this is Haruhiko."

She smiled. "Hello," she greeted him softly.

Five minutes later they had arranged to meet. Alice felt as light as air. When she hung up the phone, and turned around, she was startled to see Hajime watching her from the couch. He grinned, making her cheeks flush with embarrassment. "Nice to see you taking the initiative, Alice!" he jeered playfully. "It's not many girls who are bold enough to call a guy they're interested in!"

"But--but I'm not--" Alice stuttered, mortified. "He isn't--isn't--"

Hajime laughed, leaving the room before hearing her out. "Have fun on your date, Alice!"

She took a few deep breaths. It was just Hajime; he was only teasing. She glanced at the clock on the wall. She had just half an hour to get to the library to meet Haruhiko. She wrote a note for her mother and ran out to the balcony to get her hat. 

Rin was there, standing quietly beside the open door, a subdued look on his face. 

"Rin!" Alice exclaimed, grabbing her hat from the chair where she'd left it. "I thought you were out playing!" She felt awkward and conspicuous, running off to meet another boy while Rin was there at home. Her heart beat wildly and she felt just a little bit ashamed.

"I'm glad you could reach Shukkaido," he said quietly. "He should listen to you, Alice." He leaned against the wall, looking out over the skyline.

"I hope you're right," Alice responded nervously. Rin's lack of energy worried her. She wondered how much of Hajime's teasing he'd heard, and what he thought of it. He should know better than to think she might . . . . "Well, I'll see you later, Rin."

She turned to leave, but was frozen by Rin's thin arms wrapping around her, by the force of his narrow body being thrown against her back. He leaned his forehead between her shoulders, his breath hot through her dress. "I know that he's your age, and I know you think he's handsome," he said quickly, squeezing her tightly against him. "But don't--" he broke off, clenching his fists in frustration. "Just remember me, Alice."

She wrapped her arms around her middle, holding herself more securely in Rin's embrace. Her hands found the skin of his forearms, his wrists. So warm. Her heart skipped erratically, then relaxed to a peaceful rhythm. There was something so right about this, about Rin.

"Don't worry," she whispered, aware of the rise and fall of his chest against her back. "I'll be home soon, Rin." She stepped forward, out of his arms, but let her fingers twine with his for a moment. "Don't worry about anything."

She heard the sigh of his breath, felt the squeeze of his fingers, and suddenly was very shy. Without turning to look at him, she hurried through the apartment and out the door.

*****

It was late afternoon by the time she reached the library. Alice hurried up the cement steps, anxious to talk with Haruhiko and get home. The afternoon sunlight slanted bright and golden across the sky, making her thankful she'd remembered her hat. 

Rin. The memory of his slender arms, his trembling voice, made her smile. He was so unlike Shion, yet he was starting to evoke the same warm tenderness within her.

"Sakaguchi!" Haru's voice pulled her from her contemplation. He'd grown. He looked stronger. Alice was startled by how much more he looked like Shion. He hurried across the wide steps, his arms full of books. Alice glanced at the titles. Astrophysics? Genetics? Chemical warfare? She looked up at the young boy who smiled shyly at her. There was clearly a lot more to Shukkaido, to Haruhiko, than she'd thought.

They made awkward conversation as they walked down the steps and to the street. Alice realized that she knew almost nothing about the young man, that she had no idea what kind of things he cared about. How was she supposed to make an appeal if she didn't know how? 

When they reached the street, Haru paused. He looked down at her, his face serious. Alice stumbled over what she had been saying about the weather. His gaze was soulful--almost wounding. "What did you want to talk about, Mokuren?" he asked quietly.

His directness flustered her. She felt very aware of the busy street and the sound of the traffic.

"Um, this isn't a good place," she explained. "Do you want to go somewhere, get a cup of coffee?" A quiet coffee house would be the perfect place to tell him about the others.

He agreed. Within ten minutes they had their coffee and Alice couldn't think of any other way to stall the inevitable.

"There are others coming to Earth," she said quickly, not knowing how else to say it. "Enju has been receiving messages, and Shion," she stumbled over the name of Mokuren's lover, afraid of upsetting the boy. "Shion has had a feeling that something big is going to happen. With the moon, I mean." Alice suddenly had the feeling that she was the worst person to try to describe this. "The others--the others want to know if you've felt anything."

Haruhiko looked at her over his coffee, then looked away. A faint blush tinged his cheeks. "Last year, Shion wanted me to--" He blushed as he stirred the liquid in his cup. "When I look at you, I see her, you know. You're just like Mokuren."

Confusion pierced Alice's chest. With her limp black hair and dark eyes, she never felt as different from her former self than she did right then. Mokuren would have known what to say to Shukkaido. Mokuren wouldn't get flustered.

"Really, Shukkaido, I don't think--"

"Haru!" A deep, masculine voice interrupted her. "How have you been?"

Haruhiko jumped to his feet, smiling awkwardly as the taller man hurried over. He was followed by a beautiful woman. Alice's breath caught in her throat. Except for her black hair, the woman could be an exact replica of Mokuren. She seemed terribly familiar. 

Haru was involved in introductions. "This is my friend, Sakaguchi Alice. Sakaguchi, this is Tamura Kazuto, my--my mentor, and his fiancée," his voice almost questioned the word. "His fiancée, Ayako."

Tamura clapped Haruhiko on the shoulder. "Haru, my boy, why didn't you tell me? She's a very pretty young lady." He smiled at Alice. She looked down, embarrassed by the misunderstanding. "No more secrets! Got it?"

In a whirl of Haru's stammering and Tamura's booming voice, Alice thought of Rin. Wasn't this just the kind of thing he'd been worried about? But as suddenly as it had begun, everything was over. Tamura and the beautiful woman were leaving, and Haru could barely meet her eyes.

"I'm sorry," he whispered. "I'll explain to him later."

She suddenly got the impulse to ease his discomfort. "It's all right," she smiled. "Let's be friends, okay, Shukkaido?"

"Please," his voice was low; Alice had to lean close to hear him. "Please call me Haruhiko. I'm not--I'm not him anymore." He took a long drink of his coffee. "Shion must've told you. I don't want to be him anymore."

"I understand." In a way, she really thought she did. It was difficult coming to terms with her previous incarnation. For a long time she'd denied it, just like him. "But Shu--I mean, Haruhiko, there's so much--"

He clenched his eyes shut. "No! I can't!" Suddenly looking at her, his eyes startlingly fierce, he stunned her into silence. "I know what you're going to say, but I can't! I won't meet them. It's over! I don't care about Nadeshiko, or Ayame, or Hinagiku! It's not my life anymore!"

It was as though the world had stopped. Alice knew those names. Ayame. Hinagiku. Was he really coming here, to her planet? "Haruhiko," she began desperately. She reached across the table and grasped his trembling hands. "Please, you have to tell me more!"

*****

Rin sat by the gate, squinting in the dim light of the streetlamps to read his book. His mother had already come out twice to ask him to come inside, but he couldn't. Not until Alice came home. He remembered the way she'd stared after Haruhiko that day at the store. He remembered the light in her eyes, the bewildered half-smile on her face. It wasn't that he didn't trust her, the problem was that he was just a kid; she had no reason to wait for him.

His eyes were beginning to hurt. It was foolish of him to keep reading--anyone could tell he was waiting for someone. Maybe he should wait for her on the balcony. He glanced down the deserted street. Ten more minutes.

Just as he'd decided to wait five more, after those ten had passed, Rin heard footsteps. He peered over the top of his book. Alice! He jumped to his feet, trying to calm the rapid pounding of his heart.

She saw him and hurried the last half-block to their gate. "Rin!" she called out, smiling. "You didn't have to wait for me!" He could see through her smile. Something was bothering her.

"How did it go with Shukkaido?" he asked, pushing aside his nervousness.

Alice sat on the steps, looking up at the stars. "Not well," she answered evenly. "He won't come." She wrapped her arms around her knees.

Rin looked down at her, noting her defensive position and the sad, almost frightened expression on her face. "What else did he say? Did he know anything?"

She looked up, and Rin's breath caught in his throat. Her serious eyes looked just like Mokuren's, and for an instant he thought he saw the four red dots on her forehead, marking her as a Sarjalian. Whatever Haruhiko had told her must have bothered the part of her that still was Mokuren. "What did he tell you?"

She sighed. "He named the others. Nadeshiko, the captain of the ship; Ayame, a doctor and genetic engineer." A long pause stretched out before she continued. "Hinagiku. He's a Sarjalian. Haruhiko said they were on a mission from the Mother Planet, like ours but different, that somehow our research supported their work." She shook her head and shivered. "They're coming here. To the moon, to Earth."

The elation from before was long gone. In its place Rin felt a cold stab of dread. He'd been wrong to be carried away by Jinpachi's enthusiasm. Even from the mother planet, aliens were aliens--invaders, perhaps. They had to find out what these others wanted.

He sat on the step next to Alice, wishing he could put his arm around her, wanting to comfort her. Instead, he tucked his hands behind his knees. "Then we need Shukkaido more than ever."

*****

Haru was in his room, reading his library books, trying to forget about Mokuren and what she'd said to him, how she'd made him feel. He remembered what Shion had said before, a long time ago--how hard could it be, to seduce a pretty girl? He almost laughed. Pretty close to impossible, if she sapped his confidence the way Mokuren did. She'd almost made him break, almost made him promise to come to their meetings and rejoin the aliens. She'd come close to destroying every barrier he'd built in the past year.

A knock on his bedroom door lifted Haru's eyes from the pages of his book. It was just as well; he hadn't really been reading it anyway. With a sigh, he tucked the unwieldy book under his bed, along with the other science books that he read instead of his homework. "Yes?" he called, flipping open his notebook. His mother had chastised him once already for not studying; he didn't want to upset her.

She opened the door a crack and peered in. "Haruhiko," she began softly. "Someone's here to see you. He says his name is Yakushimaru."

Haru's breath caught. "Mikuro?" He was the last person he'd expected. A nervous flutter disturbed his stomach. He put away his homework and sat up, straightening the bedspread. "Please, bring him in," he asked his mother.

A moment later, the taller boy was there, leaning against the doorframe as his eyes scanned the room. He hadn't changed much. His build was the same, thin like a teenager despite being almost twenty-two. His hair had grown--he wore it tied back in a short ponytail now, though it still hung over his eyes in the front. Those eyes narrowed as they rested on Haru's picture of the moon. "I thought that place gave you trouble," he commented, finally walking into the room. "Why the hell do you want to remind yourself of that?"

“I--I like the moon. I like astronomy," Haruhiko stammered, thrown off balance by Mikuro's lack of a greeting. That picture reminded him of good things--of Mokuren's singing and Gyokuran's grin. Of Shion, tinkering with the computers at all hours of the day or night. There were plenty of more local places to remind him of the bad stuff.

"Won't you sit down?" Haru asked, motioning to a chair in the corner. He wondered why Mikuro had come tonight, after being in town for almost four months.

"I'm worried about you," Mikuro said, answering his thoughts. "I came to see what the hell's been bugging you so much today."

Haru stared at his guest, flabbergasted. He knew Mikuro was psychic, but he could read minds that clearly, too? "How long," he asked, shaking his head, "have you been able to read my thoughts?"

The pale boy laughed. Haruhiko had never heard him laugh before. "Kid, I've been doing it since the first time I ever saw you. I watched you at the aquarium, listening to your mental babble for fifteen minutes before talking to you. I'd hoped you would've calmed down since then, but clearly that's not the case."

Calmed down? Haru felt panic rising in his chest. How was he supposed to stay calm when his mind being stripped bare by a virtual stranger? He strained to remember how they'd dealt with Enju on the moon base--there had to be some way to block his thoughts.

"Easy, easy!" Mikuro laughed again. "I'll stay out, if that's what you want." He sat down, crossing his long legs. "I was just concerned 'cause you've been having a rough time."

Haruhiko was discovering that he liked to hear Mikuro's laugh. It was relaxed, boyish. The tightness in his chest gave way to relief. Maybe they could be friends. "It hasn't been too bad," he protested weakly.

"Don't lie to me," Mikuro threatened with a grin. "I could feel your angst clear the hell on the other end of town. I called Tamura, but he seemed to think you were fine. That's when I decided I had to come see you myself." He leaned over, his elbows on his thighs and hands cupping his chin. His eyes flashed, peering intently into Haru's. "So, what's such a big deal that you can't tell Tamura?"

Nothing. Everything. Tamura was too happy to notice him anymore, and now aliens from the mother planet might be coming to invade the Earth. He'd sound like a whiny brat who had lost touch with reality. Mikuro would think he was crazy; or worse, that he was making it up to get Tamura to pay attention to him.

Haru laughed, his eyes watering and his chest constricting painfully. It sounded insane, but it was true, and seven kids were the only people who could save the planet. Six. Haru's body began to shake as his laughter broke into sobbing. Only six kids, because he didn't count.

Mikuro was beside him in a moment, not touching him, but comforting with his presence. "Hey, Kid," he said softly. "Nothing can be so bad that you can't talk about it."

Haru shook his head, falling backward onto the bed and covering his face with a pillow. Tears were streaming from the corners of his eyes, running across his cheekbones and into his hair. Mikuro was wrong--some things can be that bad. Some things are worse, so bad that you can't do anything about them.

Except talk. Haruhiko realized that was what he wanted, to share his lunacy with another human being.

Without looking at Mikuro, without even moving from where he lay on the bed, Haru started talking. He told the whole story: about Ayame, about his dreams, about the way he just knew about Nadeshiko and Hinagiku. He talked about Mokuren and Shion, and how Shukkaido--how he would watch them, not knowing who he envied more.

A long time later, they lay together in the dim room, both very quiet and still. Mikuro stared at the ceiling, at the tiny plastic stars that formed constellations that no one on Earth had ever seen. "Haru," he began in a low, almost reverent voice. "Do you think that these beings are dangerous?"

Haruhiko closed his eyes, shutting out the room, the stars, even Mikuro. Friend or foe? He couldn't remember that much. "I don't know," he whispered.


	4. Day Four: Wednesday

Wednesday, Day Four:

The itinerary looked good. Jinpachi tucked the page into his notebook, barely hearing the buzz of excitement as his classmates discussed their upcoming trip. He’d never really cared one way or another about Hokkaido, until he found out that Alice used to live there. He could tell by the light in her eyes when they discussed the trip that she was excited to be going back.

He was relieved that, this year, it had been decided that all of the senior classes would be taking a trip together, rather than individually. This was the second year in a row that Alice had been separated from him and Issei; this trip might just make the year more bearable.

It wasn’t that he still liked her.

Well, he did, but in the past twelve months it had become pretty clear just where things stood between Alice and him. To be blunt, Kobayashi Rin stood between them. It was strange to acknowledge that he’d been beat out by a little kid, but reincarnation did that to people.

Lately he’d stopped dwelling so much about it, but the idea of this trip--a week with Alice and no Rin in sight. Even Issei’s hot-and-cold behavior wasn’t enough to dampen his enthusiasm.

“Jinpachi.” Issei crouched next to his desk, resting his elbows on the smooth wood. “I just talked with Sakaguchi. She talked to Kasama yesterday, but didn’t have any luck persuading him to come by.” He combed his hair nervously with his fingers. “He did give us some names, though. Along with Nadeshiko, he knows of someone named Ayame and a Sarches named Hinagiku.”

“Only three of them?” Jinpachi frowned. Three seemed like a tiny crew. “Does Kasama know if they’re coming here?”

Issei shook his head, pushing his hand through the flop of hair over his forehead. Jinpachi wondered he realized that Enju used to do that, too, when she was nervous. “If so, Sakaguchi didn’t say anything about it. We can ask her tomorrow night.”

“Wow--aliens coming to Earth. . . it really makes our trip to Hokkaido look kind of ordinary, huh?” Jinpachi scratched his head. It was almost too much to think about.

*****

Sakura leaned against the door as Issei hurried to tie his shoes. "Come on," she urged. "My train leaves in an hour!"

He smiled. She said she’d come to Tokyo to shop for books, but ended up on Issei’s doorstep instead. It was funny that she could be in such a hurry, just for a brief walk to the river and back. They'd be back at his house within fifteen minutes--plenty of time for her to get to the train station. "What's the rush?" He laughed as her eyes narrowed dangerously.

"Daisuke called me this morning," Sakura explained as they stepped out into the cool evening. "He's coming home from school--he lied and claimed there was a sickness in his family. Anyway, he'll be back for a week and a half." She looked up at the sky, which was deep blue with twilight and too cloudy for stars. Zipping up her light jacket, she smiled. "Let's just hope that Nadeshiko shows up soon, or he'll have to go back and miss it all."

"I had another dream," Issei began, wondering why he never really told her about them before. "It was kind of a memory, about Nadeshiko and Enju. I guess we went to school together." 

Sakura screwed up her face into an unpleasant grimace. "I sure don't remember her, and I went to college with you. Are you sure your brain's not playing tricks on you?"

Issei laughed. "No, this was before college. We were teenagers. In the dream, we were fixing our hair for a party of some sort. I was jealous because her hair was so pretty and shiny." He laughed again, remembering Enju's wistfulness as she looked at Nadeshiko's pale blonde curled locks. Now he understood his little sister's petulance about her hair. "I think Shusuran had the right idea," he commented, running a hand through his own dark hair. "Keep it short!"

"She always loved Enju's looks," Sakura commented softly. "She always loved how long and silky her hair was, how feminine and soft she looked." Issei noticed a faint blush over his friend's cheeks. She seemed embarrassed for talking so openly. "Maybe that's why I ended up looking just like her!" she rationalized quickly, looking away.

He'd noticed. That was the first thing he'd noticed about Sakura; it was as though a mirror of his former self was being held before him. Without even meaning to, he reached out and touched Sakura's fine hair. It was smooth, soft. Nicer than Enju's.

Sakura froze. They were still a block away from the river, on a quiet street lined with single-family homes. She didn't look back at him, didn't move, just stood there, eyes-closed, as he stroked her hair. Issei hurriedly pulled his hand away, upset with himself for touching her without permission and making her uncomfortable.

"Sorry," he said quickly. "I--I didn't mean to--" 

"It's okay," she whispered. "I like it." She bowed her head, not opening her eyes. "You've never really touched me before."

He didn't consider himself a touchy-feely sort of person, not like Jinpachi, who was always grabbing hands or patting shoulders. He was too reserved. He wondered what it was about Sakura that made him do it without even thinking. He looked at her flushed cheeks and long lashes, her face almost obscured by her long smooth hair. Maybe it was because she looked like Enju. "I'm sorry," he apologized again. This was a new area for him; he wasn't used to being awkward with Sakura.

"I told you," she said again. "Don't be." She spun around, suddenly looking Issei in the face and leaning a little too close. She grinned, a lopsided, goofy sort of smile that he'd never seen before. "I liked it. You should touch me more often."

Even as Issei was trying to think of an answer for that, she tipped forward and pressed her mouth to his. Her lips were soft and warm, her breath sweet and hot against his skin. He shuddered, confused and excited at the same time. Grasping her shoulders, he meant to push away, but found himself pulling her closer, answering her kiss with a yearning that startled him.

A yearning that alarmed him. This was Sakura. His heart pounding, Issei tore away from the kiss, shoving her away abruptly. This was all wrong. He couldn't let his loneliness complicate things with Sakura. He needed her friendship too much.

"Issei?" She sounded hurt.

"I--I'm sorry," he said slowly. He closed his eyes; he couldn't look at her. He was ashamed of his own reactions, of his selfish response. "I didn't mean to--"

A tiny noise cut him off, made him look sharply toward her. His heart stopped. She made another little hiccupping noise as tears began to stream down her cheeks. "Forget it," she said with forced cheerfulness. Sakura smiled through her tears. "Please, just forget it." 

Before he could answer, she turned on her heel and began to run way. As she turned, Issei felt a stab of what must have been her emotions. His chest felt like it was being pressed in a vice.

"Sakura!" He took a few steps in pursuit. How could he let her cry like that? How could he make her feel that bad? "SAKURA!" he bellowed, not caring if his yells disturbed the whole neighborhood.

"I've gotta go!" she called back, waving frantically. "I'll see you at Jinpachi's tomorrow!"

Defeated, Issei leaned against a nearby tree. His pulse throbbed in his ears and he felt like he was choking on his own heart. "Damn it!" he whispered, tears stinging his eyes. 

*****

Almost everyone around him was asleep or reading. Daisuke listened to music from his portable CD player, his bag on the floor at his feet. This late at night, most of the travelers were businessmen, eager to get an early start on the morning's meetings. He was the only teenager on board, if for no other reason than that no kid in their right mind would be on a train at 4 o'clock in the morning on a school night. As it was, he knew he should be asleep; an absence from school was no excuse for a break from routine.

But there was no way he could sleep, even if he wanted to. He turned off the reading light and stared out the window as the countryside zipped by. It was impossible to make out anything in the darkness, so he turned his eyes upward. Stars and moon seemed still in the sky, making it possible for his gaze to linger.

According to Ogura and Sakura, someone was out there, probably coming to Earth. Just the thought sent a thrill through his body, almost as powerful as when he first heard Ogura say the words. This was probably the greatest thing to ever happen to mankind, and he was going to be there, in the middle of it.

"Nadeshiko," he whispered, testing the name. He wondered if she remembered him, if his new form would surprise her. Daisuke studied his pale reflection in the glass. His old rival would have aged, he realized, while he was even younger than before. The thought made him smile.


	5. Day Five: Thursday

Thursday, Day Five:

Issei was the first to arrive that afternoon. He stood at the door, bags of junk food in his hands, smiling cheerfully as Jinpachi invited him in.

It reminded Jinpachi of how things used to be, when they’d spend as much time at each other’s houses as at their own. It’d been a long time since Issei had come over for a purely social reason. Jinpachi had to admit that he kind of missed hanging out.

“Ready to try that telepathy?” he asked, leading Issei up the stairs to his room.

Issei grimaced. “No,” he admitted. “I have no idea what I’m doing.”

Closing the door to his bedroom, Jinpachi glanced at the clock. “We have almost forty minutes before the others show up,” he said. “Wanna practice?”

Issei sat gingerly on the edge of the bed, looking uneasy. “Practice?” His voice shook. “On you?”

“Sure,” he sprawled out on the carpet, resting his head on his duffel bag. “Why not? That way you’ll have some clue how to go about it when the others get here.” He peered up at Issei, silently begging his friend just to do this without getting weird. It used to be that they shared everything. Gyokuran and Enju put a stop to that pretty quickly.

The other boy smiled weakly, pushing his hand through his hair. “I guess it won’t hurt to try,” he amended, lying back on the pillows. “But you have to close your eyes.”

Jinpachi did as he was bid.

At first nothing happened. Jinpachi shifted on the floor. He scratched his head, peeking through his eyelashes at his friend. He could just see his face over the edge of the bed. He seemed to be concentrating hard. Maybe Jinpachi should focus, too.

He closed his eyes again, trying to open his mind. He thought of all the things he’d wanted to share with Issei over the past year--the things he’d had to keep to himself because of their new awkwardness. He imagined opening his head and letting all of those thoughts spill out to his friend.

Warmth.

Jinpachi almost jumped with the first yellow warmth that flooded into him. He recognized this. It was Enju. She filled all of the crevices of him, making him warm all over.

_Gyokuran? Gyo, can you hear me?_

Jinpachi nodded, realizing too late that Issei couldn’t see him. “Uh, yeah,” he mumbled instead.

He’d forgotten how familiar it was, how often he and Enju had played at this. Memories tumbled over him and through him. 

He remembered kicking her under the table, reacting to a mental joke at Hiiragi’s expense. He could almost hear her laughter, even as she squirmed aside to miss his kick.

He remembered being sick and too tired to talk, how Enju sat by his side, holding his hand and reading his thoughts out loud so the others would know what he wanted. 

He remembered her hands in his hair, her skin against--

_Jinpachi! What are you thinking about?!_

Issei. The doors into Jinpachi’s mind fell shut. “Well,” he said nervously, half-afraid to open his eyes. “Looks like you remember how to do it, huh?”

“Yeah,” Issei mumbled.

Jinpachi opened his eyes and looked at his friend. He was sitting up on the bed. Issei’s face was bright red and he looked down at his hands in his lap. Jinpachi looked away quickly, realizing that his own face was flushed and his breathing was shallow.

“Um, sorry . . . about that . . . .”

Issei laughed it off, his voice shaking. “Don’t worry about it,” he said lightly. “That kind of thing can happen, I guess.”

“Issei.” Jinpachi knew his voice sounded too serious, but he couldn’t help it. He clambered to his knees and leaned on the bed, looking his friend hard in the face. “Don’t you think it’s time we talk about this?” His face somehow burned hotter, and he clenched his hands in the comforter to keep them from trembling. 

He was tired of letting Enju and Gyokuran get between them. Maybe it was time to face the past, once and for all.

Issei didn’t say anything, but his expression looked panicked.

“You know as well as I do that we can’t continue this way.”

There was a sudden rapping at the door an instant before it was flung open. Jinpachi dived away from the bed, his heart thudding in his chest. Issei sat up straighter, pushing his hair away from his eyes. Both breathed unnaturally hard.

Sakura stood in the doorway, her eyes narrowing at them. “I guess I’m early,” she said stiffly.

*****

"Ayame!"

The lovely doctor wiped dust from a chair with her finger. "Yes, Captain?"

Nadeshiko peered over the control panel, trying to ignore the wispy hair slipping from its topknot as she leaned. "While I try to switch on the main power, take a flashlight and look for the others. They seem to have a small generator working now, but I'm having some trouble connecting with the main supply." She wrinkled her nose as she wiped a sheet of dust from the panel. "This place looks completely abandoned. They must have secluded themselves to one or two rooms."

"Not exactly what we expected, is it?" Hinagiku had to duck through the low doorway, his broad shoulders filling the space easily. His long red hair was tied back in a low ponytail and the dots that marked him as a Sarjalian seemed more pronounced in the dim light. "The way weeds and vines have covered this place, I'm surprised that anything still works. Would you like me to accompany you?" he asked Ayame with a smile.

Nadeshiko didn't like the look of that smile. "Stay with me," she suggested quickly. "You can work on the computers at the other end. The sooner we get this place up and running, the sooner we can all get to work."

Ayame grinned, her eyes flashing. "Looks like housekeeping will be our first priority," she commented, fixing a ventilation mask over her mouth and nose. "I realize that they probably thought they were all alone in the universe, but this is terrible!" With a chuckle, she flipped the switch on her flashlight and headed out the far door.

Hinagiku walked up behind Nadeshiko, wrapping his arms around her affectionately. "This place looks ancient, Nadeshiko," he observed. "Are you sure you were in contact with Enju?"

She leaned into his arms for a moment before pulling away to get back to work. "Positive. She didn't seem to be able to answer strongly, so I suspect I was contacting her through dreams, but I'm sure it was her. I've known Enju since we were kids--there's no way I was mistaken." Nadeshiko tried to override the key words in the computer, using a code programmed into the main system on the home planet. The code had been written into all of the projects computers, including the two other stations they’d visited first. "It should work here, too," she murmured to herself, disappointed when the screen flashed a denied access icon.

Hinagiku was typing on the opposite console, hard at work searching for access to the main power. Nadeshiko didn't understand how the weak generator could have supported seven people for this long--she had her doubts that it could handle the three of them. "Apparently someone has overridden the original network," Hinagiku growled at her, upset with the unfamiliar pattern of connections. "It had to take years, but it looks like someone went through and reprogrammed every system."

Ayame burst through the door, breathless as she tore the mask from her face. "They're all dead!" she cried, flinging the flashlight onto a chair. "There were six in the hibernation chambers, perfectly preserved, and a skeleton in the observation room." She pushed her hair from her forehead, clenching the short locks in her fist in frustration. "You said they were alive!" She looked at Nadeshiko accusingly. "You said you reached Enju!"

Nadeshiko didn't like hearing that tone from her subordinate, no matter how long they'd worked together. "I did!" she insisted, standing up suddenly. "At least four times, I reached her!” The last two bases they’d visited had been abandoned. In one case the crew had committed suicide in their capsules, in the other they’d apparently left to assimilate themselves into the planet’s population. This case was different. It had to be. She’d connected with Enju. “How long have they been dead?"

Ayame looked disgusted. "Hmm . . . let's see," she began sarcastically. "One of them is a dry skeleton, so I'd imagine it's been somewhere between a week and twenty years!"

The captain was about to reply when Hinagiku lifted his hand, silently asking for a momentary truce. "Fighting amongst ourselves will get us nowhere," he reminded them gently. "We must find out how to get the life-support systems up, or we'll die within a few days. We have no more options. Why don't you try to reach her again, right now?" He looked at Nadeshiko kindly, and she wondered if he doubted her, too.

"But Ayame saw--"

He shook his head. "Ayame saw seven bodies. Did you recognize anyone?"

She nodded. "An old friend of mine," she said quietly. "We trained together. I don't know the others, though."

The Sarjalian smiled. "See? Enju may not even be among them." He nodded encouragingly at Nadeshiko, his eyes holding hers lovingly. "Go ahead and try."

The blonde smiled weakly at her lover, then flicked her eyes briefly to where Ayame stood, arms crossed in irritation. She closed her eyes, remembering Enju's smile, her voice, her presence. As children they'd played together and gone to school together--Nadeshiko would never mistake the unique patterns of the telepath's brainwaves. Enju was out there, somewhere.

It took just a moment, just a heartbeat before she received her friend's bright flash of answering awareness. "The planet," she whispered in wonder, opening her eyes and walking to an observation window. "Enju is down there, on the Earth."

*****

Issei closed his eyes, concentrating on his faint memories of the girl Enju grew up with. In his mind, his telepathy was weak, vague. He'd never used it for anything deliberately. He peeked at the others through his lashes. Daisuke looked excited. His eyes gleamed and he'd been smiling all evening. 

Jinpachi's face was more serious, his brow tense with effort, as though he were trying to help Issei concentrate. The telepath smiled. How easy it would be to invade the other boy's mind, to feel what he felt when his guard was so completely dropped. They’d come close to something that afternoon, and Issei half-wished that they could be alone again to sort it out.

A sharp pain chastised him. Issei turned his eyes toward Shion. Rin glared at him through narrowed eyes, obviously noticing the stray of his thoughts. For an instant he wondered why Rin wasn't doing this telepathy work, since he was clearly talented in reading minds. Closing his eyes again, Issei reached outward, blindly searching for the girl he'd known so well in his other lifetime.

His consciousness flitted past the minds of the others in the room. Alice was full of dread. She was afraid of Nadeshiko and what she might bring to earth. Sakura's mind was open to him--almost too open. Issei skirted around her consciousness, afraid of what he'd find if he looked for more than an instant. For a startling moment, he thought he felt Shukkaido. The boy had refused, again, to join them at this meeting, but apparently he was out there, somewhere, still open to Enju's communion. Issei hoped he'd be listening in tonight. He hoped he'd get in touch with Nadeshiko and convince Haruhiko to join them.

Suddenly he felt a caress--the intimate touch of another telepath's mind melding with his own. It was familiar. Comfortable. In this lifetime, Issei had never met another like him, another who could reach inside of him and touch him like that, but now, as Enju, he remembered how it felt to communicate without words, to know another's mind in the same depth he knew his own.

 _Nadeshiko._ He knew it was her--she was sending memories of a childhood swimming lesson, of the boys that they'd gigged over as they paddled in their water wings.

 _Enju. You are awake._ He could feel Nadeshiko's smile. _I knew you must still be alive, but why are you on Earth, and who are the seven that lie here, dead?_

Her questions had no answer--not one he knew how to give. He attempted to explain, showing her images of his new life, his birth and childhood. 

_I don't understand. Who is this boy?_

The connection was starting to hurt. Issei tried again, remembering the sickness at the moon base, the deaths of Enju's friends. _We have been reborn. We are not the same, but we carry the memory and consciousness of our past. I am Issei. I am also Enju._

Nadeshiko's confusion blurred his mind in a rush of muted colors. There was urgency behind her message, trouble and possible danger.

 _You must come to the moon. We have desperate need of all seven of you. We will not live much longer without your help._ She sent images of the cold research station, dim and nearly powerless, slowly growing colder. Even the precious oxygen-producing plants would die, leaving them with nothing. _The system has been rewired. Nothing works. Enju please, find the others and come help us._


	6. Day Six: Friday

Friday, Day Six:

Jinpachi had to cut his last class to get to Haruhiko's school in time. He waited only a few minutes before the students came pouring from the building. He hoped Haru didn't have any club activities or clean-up duty that day. He felt conspicuous in his different uniform and didn't want to wait too long.

He wasn't disappointed. Haruhiko came out alone, carrying a few oversized library books under his arm in addition to the book bag slung over his shoulder. He wondered if he needed them for a school project. Jinpachi shook his head. He never had time for any reading outside of studying; it didn’t seem fair to make a kid read more.

"Kasama!" he called out as soon as the boy was close enough. "Kasama Haruhiko!" He waved frantically, trying to ignore the snickers of some pretty girls who walked past.

Haru walked over slowly, obviously not excited about seeing Jinpachi there. He shifted his books uncomfortably and looked at the ground. "Can't you just leave me alone?" he mumbled, walking past. 

Jinpachi followed him, frustrated at the boy's lack of interest. "Shukkaido, just listen to me, will ya?" He picked up his pace as Haruhiko walked faster. "I won't bother you again; just let me explain!"

"Lovers' quarrel," a girl on the street commented snidely to her friend. Jinpachi pretended not to hear, narrowing his eyes as he focused his determination. 

"Shukkaido! It's not like we're just doing this to annoy you! It's important to us! It should be important to you, too!"

Haruhiko whirled on him, his face a mask of anger. "Stop it," he threatened in a low voice. "I'm not Shukkaido anymore, and I won't be ruled by his life!" He took a deep breath and Jinpachi wondered if he'd have to fight. "I had enough of this last year--just tell Shion to let it go already!"

"Shion?" Jinpachi was starting to get angry himself. "You think I'm here because that brat told me to come?" He laughed bitterly. "I'm here because people's lives are in danger!"

By Haruhiko's wide eyes and sudden intake of breath, it was clear that Jinpachi finally had his attention. "The others on the moon--Nadeshiko, Ayame, and Hinagiku--they're going to die unless we get there to help them."

Haru dropped his head, clenching his eyes shut. Jinpachi almost felt sorry for him. He put his hand on Haru's shoulder. "Hiiragi suggested we all try to teleport out there." He looked to the sky, where the faint outline of the daytime moon was white against the blue. He tried to imagine there were people up there, waiting to be rescued. "It'll be hard," he admitted, squinting at the pale satellite, "but we've got to try."

The boy pulled away from Jinpachi, shaking his head. "No," he said firmly. "I won't be part of this. I'm not Shukkaido, so I can't help you." He backed up a few steps. "And even if I wanted to, " he laughed nervously, "I couldn't. I can hardly teleport to Kyoto; a trip to the moon base would kill me."

*****

"So you'll be there? You'll meet me at the river?" Issei's voice sounded strained and unnatural. It made Sakura uneasy, but what could she do? If she refused to see him, their friendship would be ruined. That wasn't what she'd wanted when she kissed him.

"I'll be there," she agreed softly, glancing in the mirror as she brushed her hair. "But Issei, I don't think--"

"You know we need to talk, Shusuran," he said urgently. "I don't want to put this off any longer. Please," his voice softened, and for a moment he sounded more like his usual self. "This means a lot to me."

Sakura hung up the phone. She stared at her face in the mirror and thought about not going. She didn't want to hear him say that he didn't think of her that way. She didn't want to see the awkwardness in his expression as he explained about Jinpachi and Enju and everything she'd heard a dozen times before. 

She was in love with him. 

It wasn't Enju or Shusuran this time. It wasn't just old emotions re-establishing themselves. She wanted Issei's arms around her, wanted to spend her life listening to his sweet jokes and gentle words. She wanted him to protect her, shelter her the way Shusuran always tried to shelter Enju. When she closed her eyes she saw Issei. She knew every angle and expression of his beautiful face, his soft eyes and silky hair. She knew how his broad shoulders felt when she put her arm around him, how his breath came in tiny gasps when he cried. She'd learned the shape of his hands, how they trembled that last time when he touched her hair.

She'd thought that meant something.

Sakura tied her hair into a ponytail and went to find her shoes. The afternoon was warm, so she left her jacket hanging on its peg. Leaving a note for her mother, she slipped out the door.

The train ride was too short; when she reached her stop, Sakura had hardly begun to sort through what she intended to say to him. She edged her way through the crowded terminal and out into the yellow sunlight. 

He'd kissed her back. Sakura felt a fleeting sense of lightheadedness at the memory. He'd grasped her shoulders, pulled her close so their bodies touched. Then he'd kissed back, turning her quick press of lips into a full meeting of mouths. Why would he do that, if he weren’t attracted to her, if he didn't feel that way? She touched her lips softly, remembering how warm his breath was, how urgent his kiss had become.

So why this, now? Why was he still pushing her away when it was so clear that he needed her as much as she needed him?

The sun was setting by the time she reached the tall banks of the river. Sunbeams like golden fingers stretched over the water. It reminded Sakura of the portrait of Sarjalim that had been on the moon base; it had been in front of that picture that Enju first told Shusuran about sleeping with Gyokuran. 

Issei was waiting, sitting in the shaggy grass, his back to the path as he stared out over the river. "Shusuran," he murmured, not turning to look at her. 

Sakura sat beside him, close enough to touch, if she leaned a bit toward him. She could almost feel the warmth from his bare forearms. She wished she could take his hand, twine her fingers around his so that he would lose the courage and the inclination to say what she knew he wanted to say.

"Shusuran, I'm glad you came," he began softly, his eyes focused on the distant trees on the far bank. 

Sakura flinched at his formal tone. "Why 'Shusuran?'" she wanted to know. "For months you've used my real name--don't get weird on me now!"

He finally turned to look at her. His eyes were full of emotion--pain. "How can I not get weird?" he asked sadly. "You're my best friend."

A flash of anger followed his words. Sakura couldn't let him throw this all out of proportion. "And you're Jinpachi's best friend," she reminded him high-handedly. "You didn't let that stop you!" 

His eyes were suddenly strained, and she was ashamed.

He looked at his shoes, tugging at the laces idly. "This isn't about Jinpachi, or the way I feel about him." He tossed a stone into the water. "It's about how I feel--or don't feel--about you."

"I love you," Sakura admitted suddenly. She didn't want to hear the rest of Issei's speech; she didn't want to hear the rejection he'd probably edited a thousand times to make it hurt less. Any way he said it, it'd feel the same. "I love you," she repeated softly.

He was quiet for what seemed like forever. Sakura's heart was pounding. A part of her wondered if her words meant something to him, if they were changing his mind. She tried not to hope for it even as excitement rushed through her right alongside the fear.

When he finally answered, his voice was shaking. "You're making this harder." 

He stood and walked away from her, only to pause after a few steps to stare out over the water. "When you kissed me," he began, not looking at her, "I reacted very badly. I shouldn't have--" A painful-looking blush flooded his cheeks. "I didn't mean to mislead you."

Sakura's heart felt like it weighed twenty pounds. She got up and went to him, leaning her forehead between his shoulder blades, otherwise not touching him at all. "Don't say anything else," she whispered; she felt like crying but tried to hold those feelings in check. She watched Issei's hands curl into fists, then release slowly. She could feel the warmth of his body through his T-shirt, smell the delicious scent of him. "I couldn't bear it," she continued, losing the fight with her tears, "if you said another word."

"Sakura!" His voice was strained, almost desperate. 

But she wasn't finished. If she didn't say everything, she'd spend the rest of her life wondering if she should've. "If you can't love me, even a little, then go ahead and say so. I won't bother you again." She took a deep breath, pushing down the sob that threatened to break into her words. "But think of that kiss. Think of your reaction. Think of me." She felt his body start to shake, then noticed that she was trembling too. "If you think you can care for me, even the tiniest bit, then let me love you, Issei. Don't make me give up."

She closed her eyes and waited, keeping her head down even when Issei stepped away. She instantly regretted her rash words, not wanting to give up, even if he said he'd love Jinpachi to the end of time.

He surprised her with his embrace. Her eyes flew open as he enfolded her in his arms, pressing her tightly against him. She could feel his heart pounding, its thumps shadowing her own. "Sakura," he murmured, smoothing her hair with his hands. "You've got me all jumbled inside." She felt his tears through her hair, running down his cheeks and onto her head. She closed her eyes and leaned into him, pressing her cheek against his neck. "I don't know what I feel, suddenly."

She felt like smiling, but cried instead. "Give me time to help you figure it out," she whispered, twisting her fingers in the loose fabric of his shirt. His arms were warm and strong around her, and his chest was solid against her body. She could stand like that forever, and never get tired of it. "Please don't push me away."

He tightened his arms and sighed into her hair. "I'm not."

*****

Haruhiko’s hands were shaking as he dialed the unfamiliar number. He was crazy. He shouldn’t even be considering what he was considering. He couldn’t offer these people anything worth having--Shukkaido had done terrible things.

Why did they still want him?

The phone on the other end rang four times. Haru was about to hang up when a voice answered. “Yeah? Yakushimaru here.”

“Mikuro?” Haru’s voice shook. “This is Kasama Haruhiko.”

“Haru!” There was a scuffling sort of scramble on the other end as Mikuro fumbled for a more comfortable hold on the telephone. “What’s up?”

How did he explain? Haruhiko knew that Mikuro didn’t like Shion and the others. He was there last year, to witness, and take home, some of the pain that Kobayashi Rin was capable of doling out. He had protected Haru, without even asking why. Assuming Shion was the bad guy.

Now he knew better.

“I need your help,” he offered after an awkward pause. “My--friends from the moon, they need help. They say they need me.” He hated the impersonal buzz of the telephone; it made this harder. “But you know what I did . . . .”

“No,” Mikuro interjected, his quiet voice firm. “I know what _Shukkaido_ did. You had nothing to do with that, Haruhiko. Nothing.” 

“But--” 

Mikuro sighed; Haru fell silent. “You and Shukkaido, you’re not the same person. You’re better than that. You’re better than all of them--especially that Shion guy--because you know the difference between now and then.”

“I’m not Shukkaido,” Haru whispered. It had been almost a mantra for him in the past year, but he’d never really believed it. Now he realized. That was why he had to help. “I’m not Shukkaido,” he repeated with more confidence. 

“Right,” Mikuro sounded almost pleased.

Haru continued, his voice rising in pitch. “It means I have to help them. Shukkaido might’ve been able to do nothing as people died, but I can’t. I won’t make that same mistake twice!”

Mikuro coughed, maybe choking on something on his end of the connection. “What? Haruhiko, are you nuts? You don’t have any obligations to these people. You’re free to walk away! That’s what it means when we say you’re not Shukkaido.”

“No!” Haruhiko was emphatic. “Don’t you see? That’s a coward’s argument. That’s how Shukkaido would have reasoned it. This is my chance to atone, to show everyone that Kasama Haruhiko is different.”

“Haru, no,” Mikuro groaned.

“Yes! Come with me, Mikuro,” he pleaded. “I can’t face them alone. Come with me and back me up. Please?”

“You want me to go to one of these meetings?”

“I’ll lose my nerve if you don’t.” Haru’s heart was thumping so hard that his whole chest hurt. For the first time, though, it felt as though he were doing something right. Ayame. He remembered her. He’d cared about her. Was it right for him to look the other way while she might be dying? 

No. It was no more right than giving Shion that vaccine, knowing that Mokuren would soon die and leave him alone.

“Please, Mikuro,” he urged one last time. “I need you.”


	7. Day Seven: Saturday

Sunday, Day Seven:

Mikuro was uneasy as he and Haruhiko climbed the long flight of stairs to Ogura Jinpachi's room. The boy's mother had let them in with a smile, directing them toward the "party" in her son's room. He didn't know why Haru had decided to come. After everything these people had done to him, Mikuro would sooner Haru never saw them again. Especially that kid--Shion.

His friend was nervous. Mikuro could see it in the way Haru ran his hand through his hair before knocking, taking a deep breath and closing his eyes just before his fist fell lightly on the closed door.

"Just a second, Ma!" A teenaged voice called out. The door opened suddenly. "I told you, we don't need--"

The loud-mouthed boy stopped short, his face distorted into a comical expression of shock. "Shu--Shukkaido?" he asked, disbelieving. "Wow! Shukkaido's here!"

They were ushered into the room. Mikuro felt protective of his vulnerable friend, lingering close behind him as everyone issued startled greetings.

"This," Haru's soft voice said hesitantly, "is my friend, Mikuro." He blushed at everyone's shocked expressions. "Don't worry--he knows all about the moon base--it's okay."

Mikuro looked blandly from one face to another. It seemed to be an ordinary sort of group. One boy was even better looking than Haru, but otherwise, no one seemed particularly special. There were only two girls in the group; Mikuro nodded to them as Haru introduced them--Mokuren and Shusuran. The boys were Hiiragi, Gyokuran, Enju, and Shion. Mikuro’s eyes lingered on the youngest boy, Shion. He was leaning on the dark-haired girl, a serious look on his face. His eyes flicked up to Mikuro's, and the older boy saw both recognition and shame in them.

Looking back at the others, Mikuro sat down with Haru. He didn't trust the apology in Shion's eyes, but it was Haruhiko's opinion that mattered, not his.

"We were just talking about the plausibility of travel to the moon," the responsible-looking fellow named Hiiragi said, his eyes smiling at both of them. "Nadeshiko said she needed all seven of us, so we were wondering if there was a way for the non-ESPers to be carried by those with power."

"I think it's possible," Shion added. "I've never carried anyone during a teleport, but I know that I have plenty of energy left over." He smiled at the others. "A few practice trips to other cities should confirm that."

The group began to chatter, discussing the time restraints, the probability of failure. It was clear to Mikuro that they'd discovered next to nothing about their powers. Teleporting to Kyoto was one thing, but the moon? He doubted it was possible.

"How many of you are ESPers?" he asked suddenly, his quiet voice cutting through their conversations. "I know Shion and Haru--but who else?"

Gyokuran beamed. "I am," he announced proudly. "So are Enju and Mokuren."

The dark-haired girl--Mokuren--spoke up. "But Nishikori--Enju is a telepath, and I've never tried teleportation." She bit her lip, seeming very afraid of the situation. Shaking her head at Gyokuran, she declared softly, "I don't think you should count on us."

“And you can barely control your power,” Enju chimed in, looking at Gyokuran with concern. “How do you know you’ll be able to teleport yourself, much less someone else?”

Mikuro studied each of their eager faces, wondering how people could stumble so blindly when their lives were at risk. "Just two then--for a group of seven. Impossible." He put his hand on Haru's shoulder, squeezing gently. "Besides, this one can't teleport anywhere--doctor's orders. That leaves just you." He shook his head, eyeing Shion suspiciously. "There's no way you'd make it."

Jinpachi's face got very red. "How would you know?" he burst out. "You don't know the first thing about this!"

Mikuro crossed his arms, saying nothing. He wished he'd never offered to come with Haru. It looked like the whole group was going to be a pain.

"He's an ESPer too," Haruhiko defended suddenly. "He's as powerful as any of us, I think!" He looked up at Mikuro and smiled. "He knows a lot about teleportation." He stood up, walking to the window. "Anyway, I think he's right. I can't go, and there's no way Shion can take everyone else, even if you do manage to help, Gyokuran." He looked up at the moon--just a sliver now--in the deep blue sky. "I don't think any of us should go. I don't trust them. I'm suspicious about why they want to see us."

Mikuro was pleased with his friend's decision. He couldn't see how aliens coming to Earth could be a good thing. He noticed Mokuren nodding slowly, her eyes never leaving Haru's face. Apparently he wasn't the only one with sense.

"Then I'll go alone." Shion jumped to his feet, pacing back and forth across the room. "Nadeshiko said that the computers had been hacked into and altered. Shion did that." He glanced around the room, but his gaze settled on Mokuren. "I think I can fix it, and I can see what they want."

"Rin! No!" Mokuren cried, almost dropping her bottle of juice. Mikuro looked away, embarrassed the desperation he heard in her voice. "You can't go all by yourself!

"You can't stop me," Shion answered, the coldness in his voice sending shivers down Mikuro's spine. It had been a year since he'd heard that tone, but he remembered it perfectly. Shion meant business. "I'm leaving tomorrow night, from the Tokyo tower, and since no one else can help me, I'm going alone."

*****

Alice carried her jacket home, rather than wearing it. She would've enjoyed the warmth of the early-summer evening, but she was too distressed to notice. Her mind was clouded by images of Rin making it to the moon, but finding it to be a trap. Or worse, him lost all alone between Earth and the moon. The possibilities made her feel sick to her stomach.

Rin was uncharacteristically quiet that night, too. He walked silently, is eyes focused straight ahead and his face expressionless. Alice suddenly wanted to know what he was thinking. How did a little boy deal with this kind of sporadic, rushed growing up? She had a thousand questions to ask him, but didn't know where to begin. He was closed up.

"I could just tell your mother," Alice said suddenly, feeling desperate to stop him from leaving. "I could tell her that you plan to skip your school's camping trip to run away by yourself for a week."

Rin looked up at her, his eyes narrow. "You wouldn't, though," he said confidently. "You know as well as I do that we can't just ignore them."

Alice couldn't answer. He was right, but not completely. Whenever Alice thought of them up there in the cold and the dark, possibly running out of air, she knew they should help them, but when she looked around on a night like this, smelling the honeysuckle and freshly cut grass, she wondered if saving the Earth meant letting them die. Mokuren had never known Ayame or Nadeshiko, but she'd known Hinagiku. Beyond the name, Alice couldn't remember anything about him, but whenever she thought of him, a sense of dread settled over her. She was afraid of him, but she couldn’t remember why.

Rin seemed so small and defenseless, in spite of his growth spurt and confident manner. To Alice he was still the little boy he'd always been--still small enough to need protection. Rationally, she knew he was a powerful psychic. She knew he could out-think and out-fight a lot of people, but she remembered how he'd looked after that last time, bandaged from head to toe and so vulnerable. 

"I won't let you go alone," she said quietly, not looking at him. If she had to hold on to him and refuse to let go, she wouldn't let him go alone. 

"You'll be in Hokkaido," he reminded her. "Your class leaves tomorrow morning." He left the sidewalk and wandered into the park, leaving Alice to follow. "Besides," he called, sitting on a swing. "I can teleport whether you hold onto me or not."

She sat on the swing next to him, dragging her feet in the dusty sand. "Then I'll learn to teleport too," she announced recklessly. She knew it wasn't likely, but she'd spend the next twenty-four hours practicing, if she had to. "Mokuren was a lot more powerful than Shion. If he could do it, then she must've been able to."

"No!" Rin's voice was low and his hands clenched the chains of the swings. "If the others can't come, then you can't either. I won't let you put yourself in danger like that!"

Alice looked up at him, startled. His mouth was twisted into a determined snarl and his eyes were fierce. "Rin?"

He turned toward her, his eyes wild. "Don't you think I know how scared you are of Hinagiku? Don't you think that I know he's dangerous?" He kicked the dust at his feet. "If Jinpachi and the others came, then I could count on them to watch out for you. By myself, I'm afraid that I won't be able to." His hands started to shake, making the chains rattle. "Damn it Alice, don't you see that I'm trying to protect you?"

Her chest hurt. "And can't you see," she asked softly, "that I just want to protect you, too?"

He looked away; his shoulders drooped. "I know," he whispered, using his feet to trace patterns in the sand beneath his swing. "But Alice," he looked at her, surprising her with the maturity and intensity in his expression, "you're everything to me. If you died--if somehow you got killed up there, then I wouldn't want to come home. I'd want to die there too." He took a deep breath, steadying his voice, which had begun to waver. "As long as you're here, I have a reason to come home."

Suddenly it was painful to breathe. Alice stared at him, trying to understand each detail of the moment--the pounding of her heart, the flutter in her stomach, the unmasked love in his eyes. He was part of her. When--how had this happened? How had this boy's love, this boy's life, become more important to her than her entire planet? "Don't go Rin," she urged him quietly, her voice cracking. "I don't care what happens to the moon base, to the Earth; please don't go."

Rin stood and walked the few steps separating them. He smiled softly. Pushing Alice's bangs from her forehead, he leaned down and pressed a kiss onto the spot above her eyebrows where Mokuren had her Kitche. "I'm going because you do care, Alice. Mokuren asked me to protect this planet, and your very existence here makes me want to do it. I'm going to the moon, Alice. Please don't try to stop me."

She watched as he turned and ran home through the darkness alone. She was stuck, frozen to the spot by her own helplessness. She lifted her hand to her face, touching the place of his kiss with her fingers. He wouldn't go alone.


	8. Day Eight: Monday

Monday, Day Eight:

It was morning. Haru hadn't slept. He had lay in bed for hours, watching the glow-in-the dark stars fade slowly, becoming invisible in the dark room only to reappear as dawn forced its way through the blinds. As Shukkaido, he remembered that sky--lying in the tall grass of his mother's yard, staring hard at the stars and wondering if he'd ever get to visit any of them, then deciding that being a doctor was better than being an astronaut. He couldn't have known, way back then, that he'd get to do both. 

He was Shukkaido. He knew it wasn't just a dream and he knew it wasn't the kind of thing he could make himself forget. Just going to the meeting that night proved it. Part of him was happy to have seen the familiar faces--Enju, Shusuran, Hiiragi--he hadn't seen any of them in so long. The rest of him was ashamed.

They all knew what he'd done to Shion in his last days on the moon. They all knew everything about what had happened last year and why, but they still wanted him there. They still counted him as part of the group. It made him feel worse. 

Didn't he owe it to them to help?

He thought of his dreams, the eerie feelings that something terrible would happen if they let the visitors go unchecked. Ayame. She'd been his friend, his lover for a short time. He wanted to see her. Nadeshiko and Hinagiku. He didn't know if they were friends or not. He couldn't decipher their intentions, but he remembered the panic on Alice Sakaguchi's face when she heard the name. Could he leave them and all their intentions in the hands of a nine-year-old child?

No. He wouldn't have Shion's life on his conscience. Not again.

Sitting up in bed, he reached for the phone. Mikuro would be getting ready for work by now, maybe in the shower or eating breakfast. After a few rings, the answering machine picked up. 

"Mikuro? Hi. This is Haruhiko—Kasama Haruhiko. I just wanted to let you know that I won't be able to meet you and Tamura for lunch today, after all. I--I have a test to study for, so I'll be eating at school. Tell Tamura I'm sorry."

After hanging up the phone, Haru grabbed his biological warfare book from under the bed. If these aliens were planning what he suspected, he wanted to be prepared.

*****

Sakura couldn’t concentrate on a thing her teachers said. The clock on the wall seemed barely to move; even its second-hand seemed chronically lagging. It wasn’t even lunchtime and it felt as though days had passed.

Shion was going to the moon that night.

Sakura wanted to go, too.

She thought she understood the problems of teleportation. Clearly, she’d have to convince Shion to take her with him. She’d probably have to beg—no, reason would be the only thing to work with that one. But the opportunity was too huge.

This was probably her only chance to go back. She wanted to go; to see for herself that her friends had been safely tucked away into their capsules; that the world hadn’t fallen apart after she died. It was irrational, she knew.

But she wanted to see Enju, to touch the things she’d touched and confirm, once and for all, that it was Issei she wanted, rather than the memory of her dearest friend.

The bell rang for lunch. 

“Sakura!” a friend called from across the room. “We’re meeting Yuka and Akane in the courtyard. It’s your turn to get drinks.”

Sakura made up her mind. “I’m sorry, Tomoko,” she said, shoving her notebook into her satchel. “I’m not feeling well. I think I’m going home.” She folded her arms close to her stomach and tried to look pale. “My mother’s been sick for the past week,” she added, her mind spinning ahead. “I wonder if I caught what she has.”

Her friends, concerned as they were, stepped back. Sakura almost smiled. Of course they cared about her, but not enough to get themselves ill. If Shion refused to take her with him, she could always declare it a false alarm, but on the off chance he gave in, she’d have a group of alibis to tell the teacher she’d been really sick.

She said goodbye and left the classroom, taking pains to walk slowly. She explained her situation to her homeroom teacher on the way out and managed to curb her exuberance until she passed out of the school’s gate.

Finally free, Sakura broke into a run. She had to call Daisuke and work out a story that would convince her mother that it was all right for her to be gone for a while. She considered trying to reach Issei, but he’d left for Hokkaido that morning, along with Jinpachi and Alice.

Oh well. They said that absence made the heart grow fonder, right? 

Let Issei miss her.

*****

Alice unlocked the door and slipped inside, careful to make as little noise as possible. Her mother and father were at work, and Hajime was at school, but if Rin’s mother were to notice that she was home, she’d be sure to say something about it later.

She crept to her room and changed out of the shorts and polo shirt her school required for the field trip. She’d spent the morning hiding out, browsing through bookstores and flower shops to pass the time until it was safe to come home. She stashed her duffle bag in the back of her closet. It would be a disaster if her mother or Hajime found it before the week was up.

Rin was going to be furious. Alice closed her eyes, dreading the look of outrage on his face when he saw her. He was going to refuse to take her. He was going to rail and howl and insist she go home.

But she wouldn’t.

She went out to the balcony. 

“Hello everyone,” she whispered, crouched low so Mrs. Kobayashi wouldn’t see her. “I’m leaving for a while,” she told the plants fondly. They leaned close as if to catch every quiet syllable. “But first I need some help.”

She explained her difficulty about teleportation, half-hoping that the growing things of the world might somehow understand ESP better than she did. They hummed abstract encouragement back to her, but none had any real advice about how to harness Mokuren’s abilities.

You are strong, a fern whispered.

You must believe in your power, the tall palm added, its voice the barest impression in her mind.

Alice sighed. It wasn’t useful at all, but her plants’ faith in her was encouraging. She left the house as carefully as she had come, trying to look inconspicuous until she rounded the corner. She checked her watch. It was almost three; she had about six hours before it got dark. She’d just have to practice until then.

****

Except for a couple of incompetent night watchmen, the Tokyo tower was vacant. Rin had spent a busy day in the library, doing research on genetics and cloning. He'd forged a letter to his principal excusing him from the camping trip, using his mother's writing to explain a family emergency. With his family thinking he was with the school, and his school thinking he was with his family, he had an entire week accounted for. Six days to get to the moon, fix things, discover their intentions, and get home. Since he'd had to occupy himself the entire day, he thought some research would put him on more even footing with the enemy.

Enemy. He never said the word out loud--too afraid to scare Alice or the others. Too afraid that he was right about these aliens from the mother planet.

Now that it was dark--moonless due to the new moon's cycle--it was time to go. Pulling his baseball cap low over his eyes, he teleported to the top of the tower.

He was shocked to find the others already there. Alice, Jinpachi, Daisuke, Sakura, and Issei. To see him off? "What are you all doing here?" he asked, not masking the surprise in his voice. He turned to Alice. "Aren't you supposed to be in Hokkaido?" he demanded.

"I didn't learn teleportation after all," she confessed quietly, "but I couldn't just let you go by yourself." She looked at her feet, blushing. "I was going to make you take me."

Jinpachi grinned. "It seems that Sakaguchi, Issei and I all had the same plan," he explained sheepishly. "After I decided that the moon would make a better field trip than boring Hokkaido, I came up here and they were already waiting."

Daisuke nodded. "No one in my family even knows I'm in Tokyo," he explained. "I figured I should give it a try, since I had nothing better to do."

Rin was aghast, barely listening as Sakura described a similar epiphany. They really wanted to risk it? He thought Mikuro was right—even if Jinpachi could manage it, two teleporters couldn't carry the rest of them. He looked at Alice, who immediately looked away, staring down at the lights of the city. "You can't come with me," he said decidedly. "We might not even make it. With only two ESPers--"

"Three." Haruhiko appeared suddenly, smiling and barely breathing hard. "I'm coming too," he announced. He gave everyone a shy grin and looked seriously at Rin. "I know more about them than any of you," he said confidently. "Besides, you'll never make it as far as the moon without me."

Jinpachi was quick to interject, his face flushed red. "But what about your heart?" he demanded. "You said that it'd kill you, and that guy--"

"Mikuro's not a doctor," Haru said, keeping his voice light, "but I was. Don't you think I know more about my own heart condition than anyone else?" He turned to Daisuke. "You're in charge here, right, Hiiragi? You know you would never get there with just Shion and Gyokuran transporting. I can help." 

Daisuke's firm expression didn't change. "I know what I can do," Haruhiko protested, getting frustrated. "Do you really think I'd come if I thought I wouldn't survive?"

Rin was speechless. He was pretty sure that Haruhiko was bluffing, that he had somehow made up his mind not to care if this killed him. He was impressed. A new respect for the older boy built itself inside of him, and he suddenly didn't think it would be right to deny him this chance to help the group. 

"I agree," he announced, smiling as six pairs of shocked eyes turned to him. "Shukkaido would know his own limits, I think." He turned to Daisuke, lifting an eyebrow to ask for the official okay. "It's your mission, Captain; what do you think?"

Daisuke smiled, making Rin think that he was glad to be back in control of this adventure. "I think we'd be foolish to look a gift horse in the mouth," he said slowly. "You're sure?" He looked quizzically at Haruhiko. Haru nodded. "Then let's get going."

Rin let Daisuke organize the order of passage. He watched as Daisuke linked Jinpachi's hand with Issei's, Issei's with Alice's. Rin stepped up to take Alice's free hand, glad to see with Daisuke's nod that it was what the older boy had planned. On his other side, Sakura slid her fingers around his, smiling nervously down at him as Haruhiko grasped her other hand. Daisuke situated himself between Haru and Jinpachi, completing the circle.

"As you can see," Daisuke explained seriously, " we have a teleporter situated between all of the non-ESPers, myself included. Except that we didn't have anyone to fit between Mokuren and Enju, so you two have to concentrate the powers you do have and do your best to feed it to the others. Gyokuran," his voice was stern as he leveled his gaze on his neighbor. “Focus, okay?” 

He smiled suddenly, a lopsided grin that seemed almost fatalistic to Rin. "I guess I'll see you all on the moon."

Rin focused his thoughts on the soft feeling of the skin of Alice's hand, the clenching strength of Sakura's. They were his responsibility. His power had to carry them both. He could see Haru and Jinpachi focusing similarly before closing his eyes.

"Wait!"

"Haru!"

Rin's eyes flew open just in time to see the elevator doors slide open. Two men burst out. "Haru!" Tamura's deep voice repeated urgently.

Mikuro reached his friend first, yanking his hands abruptly from Sakura's and Daisuke's. "You can't do this," he growled in a low voice.

Haruhiko pulled away, refusing to look at Mikuro or Tamura. "I can and I will. Please leave us alone."

Tamura grasped the boy's shoulders, giving him a hard shake. "I won't let you throw your life away like this," he said, his voice shaking. "I'm taking you home."

Haru twisted away, surprising both Tamura and Rin, who was watching closely. "No!" he insisted, clenching his fists. "I can do this. I have to. These people are my friends and they need me."

Mikuro snorted, looking pointedly at Rin. "Some friends."

Haruhiko looked at Mikuro, his eyes full of some emotion that Rin didn't recognize. "They need me," he repeated. "I know what I'm doing."

Something in the younger boy's tone got through to Mikuro. He nodded slowly, his eyes never leaving Haru's. "You're determined to do this?" he asked softly.

Haru nodded, looking more like Shion than ever before. 

Smiling sadly, Mikuro nodded back. "Then I'm coming too," he announced.

Rin dropped the girls' hands, jumping forward. "You can't come!" he cried, overwhelmed by this turn of events. "You're not from the moon base--you'll be out of place."

Tamura made a choking noise. Mikuro rushed to reassure. "You need another teleporter," he declared, matter-of-factly. "Haru might be able to get there on his own, but there's no way he could survive if he had to support anyone else." 

Daisuke raised his eyebrows thoughtfully. “Actually, this is probably for the best,” he conceded right away, surprising Rin. “Shu, why don’t you move to stand between Mokuren and Enju?”

Haruhiko did as he was bid and Daisuke motioned Mikuro to the spot he’d just vacated. 

Mikuro looked hard at Haru for a long moment, then stepped into his place in the circle, grasping Daisuke's and Sakura's hands tightly. "Haru, don’t you dare try to move anyone but yourself,” he instructed forcefully.

Tamura stood outside the ring, cursing under his breath. “Haru, don’t,” he pleaded. Rin almost snickered. It was bad enough to be called Mastudaira Takahashi’s mother—did this guy have to be Shukkaido’s as well?

Daisuke grinned, admirably hiding his stress. "Change of plans," he announced. "Shion, can you handle both Mokuren and Shusuran's teleportation?"

Rin nodded. Especially if Alice tried to help, it shouldn't be too hard.

The captain looked at Jinpachi. "Enju is your responsibility," he said. "We'll all try our best to keep this a flowing circle of power, but if it doesn't work, focus on Enju." 

Jinpachi's chest puffed up with responsibility.

"And I look out for you, right?" Mikuro peered at Daisuke through the fringe of his bangs. He looked over at Haruhiko and have him a half-smile. "Take care of yourself, Kid," he urged quietly.

Tamura looked like he would protest again, but Haru smiled. "It's okay, Mr. Tamura. We'll be just fine." His voice was light and gentle, and it seemed to calm his anxious friend.

Rin closed his eyes, once again connecting with Alice and Sakura. He could feel the tingle of power from within himself, as well as a faint tickle from Alice. He silently begged her to find the source of her energy. 

_Focus, Mokuren. I love you._

He was consumed by energy from all sides--the familiar power of those born to the mother planet and the alien shiver of Mikuro's energy. It almost hurt, in a cool, electric sort of way.

He thought he heard Alice cry out. Opening his eyes, he looked sharply at her. She was Mokuren, her Kitche glowing from her forehead, her blonde hair streaming behind her. The others had transformed too--for the moment consumed by their former selves. Shion closed his eyes, concentrating on Sarjalim, on the moon. 

Another surge of power thrust though him, and everything went black.

*****

Alice felt like she was floating, sliding through matter and space as though her molecules had split, opened up to let everything flow through. Even Rin's fingers--previously so solid and concrete--had drifted into nothingness. Only the steady wash of energy let her know she was not alone.

The arrival came with a slam--bone pressing bone and insides sloshing. Alice felt sick. Every part of her body hurt and her lungs were straining for breath she couldn't catch. Even before she could open her eyes, Rin's thin body fell hard against her, knocking her to the cold floor. She heard his gasp and the groan of the other--Kasama Haruhiko--as she yanked his hand.

"Haru!" Mikuro's raspy voice was strained, exhausted, but he managed to lunge across the circle in time to catch his friend before he hit the floor. 

Rin looked up slowly, his hands gripping Alice's sweater. The room was dark, but she could see the outlines of their friends as her eyes adjusted. Together, with the others, they watched as Mikuro checked the unconscious Haruhiko's vital signs.

"He's not going to die, is he?" Sakura's voice sounded small.

Mikuro pressed his ear to the boy's chest, making a choking sound as he listened. "He's having a heart attack or something!" he growled. "Ayame! Nadeshiko, anyone! Get over here and help him!" His voice cracked as he bellowed the command.

"We need a doctor!" Jinpachi added, cupping his hands around his mouth to amplify his yell.

Sakura fell to her knees and Issei dropped down beside her, sliding his arm around the girl as she began to whimper.

Alice was afraid to move. She clutched Rin hard against her, glad that he was okay even as she was terrified for Haru. She'd believed that everything would be all right, that the dangerous part was going to come later, not right away, when they should be celebrating their success.

Suddenly a door burst open and they were bathed in light. A young woman with short black hair ran to Mikuro and Haruhiko, her face panicked. "What's happened here?" she asked sharply, already scanning him with a strange instrument.

"He has a weak heart," Mikuro supplied. "I think the trip was too much for him."

After a momentary examination the woman stood. "We have to get him stabilized. Can you carry him?" 

With a grunt, Mikuro scooped the smaller boy into his arms. He followed the doctor out of the room.

Alice looked at the others, still too shocked to speak or do anything other than hold onto Rin.

"That--that must have been Ayame," Issei said softly. "She's one of the best doctors to ever join the space program," he reminded them. "If anyone can help Shukkaido, she can." 

The doctor had left a hand-held lamp on the floor. Illuminated, the room was familiar--one of the casual gathering rooms on the base. The walls were thick with plant life--vines and runners had stretched themselves through the ducts and across the plated walls, their roots pushing deep through crevices, searching for the cool, dark places where water condensed and accumulated. The floor was a thick carpet of grass and weeds, weak and white from lack of natural light.

Alice looked at the old couches and shelves of books and magazines, remembering days when Mokuren did nothing but read, curled up on the chair in the corner. It was a strange sensation, remembering Mokuren in the third person, as though she weren't really a part of herself. A cold chill prickled her skin. She didn't like remembering Mokuren so vividly--the lack of herself, of Sakaguchi Alice within the memory made her feel insignificant.

"Welcome home!" A light female voice pulled Alice's gaze to the doorway. A tall slender woman with light blonde hair stood just inside. "That was Shion, wasn't it? I'm sure Ayame will get him back to you in no time."

"Actually," Daisuke stood, running a hand through his hair, "that was Shukkaido. We've all changed quite a lot since we were here last." He smiled weakly. "You're as beautiful as ever, Nadeshiko." Alice was shocked at his easy words and tight control. He was unsteady on his feet, but it was clear he'd never let the other captain know that.

She was visibly startled. "Hiiragi?" Her eyes widened. "What happened to you?"

"Clearly a case of reincarnation." A tall, broad-shouldered man entered the room just behind her, putting his hands on Nadeshiko's shoulders. His confident voice sent shivers down Alice's spine. Hinagiku. She wished she could remember why she disliked him. "You all died out here, only to be reincarnated on Earth; am I right?" It was as though he were seeking approval for something he'd already decided was the truth. He glanced over the exhausted group. "I'm amazed you were able to find each other again."

Nadeshiko smiled at the man, clearly impressed by his deduction. "Shall we make introductions? I am Nadeshiko--security officer, biochemist, and captain of this mission. You just met Ayame, the ship's medical doctor and genetic expert. This is Hinagiku; he's the one who reminds us to pause to reflect upon Sarjalim when we get too caught up in our work." She put a hand over one of his, surprising Alice with the implied intimacy.

Hiiragi smiled at the other man, nodding slightly before proceeding with his own introductions. He motioned to Rin and Alice first. "This young boy here is actually Shion," he explained. Rin clambered to his feet. "His Earth name is Kobayashi Rin, but we'll use our old names up here. And this," he helped Alice to her feet, " this is Mokuren."

Rin faltered, clearly more worn out than the rest of them. Alice steadied him with one arm. She hoped he wasn't going to be sick. She glanced up, trying to be polite to their new hosts, but looked back down when she saw Hinagiku's deep gray eyes staring into her. He knew that she knew the truth about him, she suddenly realized, but was instantly confused. What was the truth? Realizing that she'd have to give it more thought later, she tried to dismiss her worries, instead guiding Rin to sit on one of the sofas.

Gyokuran, Shusuran, and Enju were all introduced as well. "And that other guy, the one who carried Shukkaido out of here," Jinpachi hurried to explain, "that was Mikuro. He's a friend from Earth with similar Sarches powers."

Alice saw something flicker in Hinagiku's eyes as he casually pushed a stray lock of his chestnut hair from his face. Why would he be interested in Mikuro? She watched him carefully as everyone began to talk, catching up on personal information or learning more about what brought these others to Earth. Nadeshiko embraced Issei, ignoring his blush as she teased him about his attractive male form. She smiled at Daisuke too, pinching his youthful face and chiding him for being so young while she had no choice but to get older. Hinagiku didn't let his gaze leave Nadeshiko's face until Jinpachi dragged his attention away with questions. 

Alice let Rin lean on her while she listened to the others, stroking his hair as everyone chattered. The others from the mother planet were the only ones left, it seemed, and they'd been sealed away in hibernation chambers for the past eighteen years while making the long trip to Earth. That would explain why they hadn't aged, why they were in their mid- to late-twenties instead of pushing forty-five or fifty. They'd been on the moon for a couple of days, trying to crack the computers' codes to get the life-support systems activated.

"We were just about to move that skeleton out of the garden observation room and into a capsule," Hinagiku was saying. "That way, we could make the room useful again."

"No." Rin sat up straight, his eyes meeting those of the older man. "Please, I--Shion was happy there. Let him stay." He closed his eyes and leaned against Alice once more. "He belongs in there, with Mokuren's flowers."

Alice didn't like the way these newcomers were tampering with things. She didn't like the out-of-body feeling she had in the pit of her stomach as Mokuren's memories bombarded her. It had been a mistake to come--they were from Earth. What could they possibly do to help these aliens, and why had it been so crucial for them all to come? She cradled Rin's head in her lap, determined to be more concerned for her neighbor and less worried about her wary feelings. 

He fell asleep almost immediately, prompting Nadeshiko to hurry them all into the sleeping chambers. She had prepared all the rooms, hoping they'd arrive soon. The new team occupied two of the seven, so Alice chose to stay with Rin while Issei and Jinpachi agreed to bunk together. Alice guided her sleepy charge into the dark, chilly room--Shion's room. Her face flushed as she remembered all that had once transpired there, but she pushed it out of her head as Rin curled up next to her on the narrow bed. There would be enough time to remember later.

*****

Though he was just as tired as his friends, Daisuke didn't allow himself the luxury of sleep. With one of his crew possibly near death, it was his responsibility to see that he was getting the best care before turning in. His feet carried him automatically to the medical rooms, each turn surprisingly familiar only after he'd decided to make it. He slid the med center's door open as quietly as possible, not wanting to interrupt whatever was happening in there.

The room was dim with just the pale blue lights of the backup power system. Shukkaido seemed very small and young on the bed in the middle of the chamber, hooked up to at least half a dozen machines that were, in turn, hooked up to a portable generator that hummed in the corner. Mikuro sat close beside Shukkaido's bed, his expression tense. He looked up as Daisuke walked in, but turned his gaze back to his friend's pale face as soon as he'd identified the visitor.

"He's stabilized," a soft voice said from a dim corner. Ayame sat on a stiff chair, her hand on her forehead as though in frustration or exhaustion. Daisuke hoped it was the latter--frustration didn't bode well for his friend's situation. She stood and approached him.

"You're the captain?" she asked. Before he could answer, she continued. "Truth be told, I wasn't sure I'd be able to do it. I have him on an artificial blood pump and respiratory device right now. The pump should act like a normal heart for an indefinite amount of time, and the breathing device just makes certain he doesn't give out in his sleep. I induced a coma for a while," she explained softly. "His heart is irreparable."

"So he's going to die?" The words tasted bitter in his mouth. Clearly this was his fault--if only he'd refused to let Shukkaido come along.

Ayame smiled grimly. "Not necessarily," she said, silently guiding him to her workstation at the far end of the room. The worktable was home to a small tank of fluid. Something was floating inside. "I've taken a tiny, undamaged piece of the patient's heart and checked the DNA codes. He wasn't born with this heart condition, so using the genetic codes, I've begun to build a new organ."

Daisuke was astounded. He'd known that the mother planet had the technology for genetic regeneration, but until that moment he hadn't realized how incredible the science could be. He stared hard at the lump of flesh in the murky fluid. A new heart. That could cure Shukkaido permanently. "How long will it take?" His voice was hoarse. "How soon until Shukkaido can wake up?"

Ayame started, visibly stunned. "Shukkaido?" she asked weakly. "I thought--" 

She probably thought he was dead. "We were reincarnated," he explained quickly. "His Earth name is Kasama Haruhiko, but he's also Shukkaido."

She abruptly turned, hurrying to Shukkaido's bedside. Daisuke followed, wanting an answer. She stared at her patient's face, touched his black hair. "Shukkaido," she whispered.

Daisuke felt like he was intruding, but he had to know. "How soon?" he repeated.

The pretty doctor looked up at him, professional once more. "Give me four days," she answered confidently. "The organ will be ready for transplant within four days." She looked back at Shukkaido, still as death beneath the tubes and contraptions. "The hard part will be keeping him alive that long," she murmured. "Mechanically, it's no trouble, but he has to want to hang on."

He remembered that Shusuran and Enju had rescued the boy from an attempted suicide last year. Daisuke was worried. Unless a great deal had changed since then, they were in for a rough time.

Mikuro, who hadn't seemed to be listening all this time, suddenly leaned in close to his friend. He grasped the boy's hand, squeezing it urgently. "Come on, Kid," he whispered. "Hear me. You've gotta hang on."

The young captain hoped that, if nothing else, the earnestness in his friend's voice would keep Shukkaido with them. Daisuke's eyes met those of the doctor. It was clear they had both been thinking the same thing.


End file.
